The Nature of Apprenticeship Training and Quality Assurance Practices in the Informal Automobile Sector in Accra, Ghana

A significant change that was observed within the sector is the increasing number of people who have had or desire to have background training from both the formal and informal sector. This is common among the master craftspeople and apprentices interviewed as typified by an apprentice at Odornaa who stated that, \u2018I want to advance myself in the trade by participating in courses at NVTI\u2019. The rational for this phenomenon is that trainees are accorded the opportunity to benefit from the theoretical and practical aspects of the training. Accordingly, the informal apprenticeship sector exposes trainees to the more practical aspects of the training while the formal training institutions provide the theoretical advantages. Additionally, through the Ghana Skills Development Initiative such as the Ghana TVET Voucher programme (GTVP) which provide opportunities for apprentices and master craftspeople to receive theoretical training from formal TVET institutions, many of the master craftspeople are now partnering with formal apprenticeship training providers leading to exchange of apprentices in the training process. Under the partnership arrangement, mater craftspeople and apprentices are provided with complementary competency\u2010based training at accredited training institutions such as the Accra Technical Training Centre. The informal trainees who successfully complete the training process are given formal qualifications at National Proficiency Levels I and II. It must be noted that the GTVP is being implemented by the CTVET and beneficiaries are selected from the informal trade associations. While enhancing collaboration between the formal and informal training providers, to many of the master craftspeople interviewed, this arrangement is beneficial as the partnership arrangement has brought about improvements in the theoretical understanding of the trainees. Although this is beneficial to the work practices, it demonstrates the emerging nature of collaboration between the formal and informal apprenticeship training system (Gough et al. 2019 ) while enhancing the overall quality of training provided to the apprentices. That notwithstanding, the sustainability of the GTVP partnerships is indeed a crucial aspect that warrants attention. As a project\u2010based initiative co\u2010financed by the German Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development (BMZ) through KfW Development Bank and the Government of Ghana, its long\u2010term viability is essential.

A significant change that was observed within the sector is the increasing number of people who have had or desire to have background training from both the formal and informal sector. This is common among the master craftspeople and apprentices interviewed as typified by an apprentice at Odornaa who stated that, \u2018I want to advance myself in the trade by participating in courses at NVTI\u2019. The rational for this phenomenon is that trainees are accorded the opportunity to benefit from the theoretical and practical aspects of the training. Accordingly, the informal apprenticeship sector exposes trainees to the more practical aspects of the training while the formal training institutions provide the theoretical advantages. Additionally, through the Ghana Skills Development Initiative such as the Ghana TVET Voucher programme (GTVP) which provide opportunities for apprentices and master craftspeople to receive theoretical training from formal TVET institutions, many of the master craftspeople are now partnering with formal apprenticeship training providers leading to exchange of apprentices in the training process. Under the partnership arrangement, mater craftspeople and apprentices are provided with complementary competency\u2010based training at accredited training institutions such as the Accra Technical Training Centre. The informal trainees who successfully complete the training process are given formal qualifications at National Proficiency Levels I and II. It must be noted that the GTVP is being implemented by the CTVET and beneficiaries are selected from the informal trade associations. While enhancing collaboration between the formal and informal training providers, to many of the master craftspeople interviewed, this arrangement is beneficial as the partnership arrangement has brought about improvements in the theoretical understanding of the trainees. Although this is beneficial to the work practices, it demonstrates the emerging nature of collaboration between the formal and informal apprenticeship training system (Gough et al. 2019 ) while enhancing the overall quality of training provided to the apprentices. That notwithstanding, the sustainability of the GTVP partnerships is indeed a crucial aspect that warrants attention. As a project\u2010based initiative co\u2010financed by the German Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development (BMZ) through KfW Development Bank and the Government of Ghana, its long\u2010term viability is essential.