Final report : end-of-project evaluation of OIC/Ghana phase II non-formal community-based vocational education program

Final external evaluation covers the period through 5/80 and is based on interviews with random samples of trainees, instructors, and employers/supervisors. The program is strong, viable, and of great service. OIC trains carpenters, masons, typists, plumbers, electricians, commercial artists, mechanics, caterers, and bookkeepers. Curricula are comprehensive and relevant to industrial needs. Both feeder and vocational training take longer than planned, however; while this may be due partly to the late openings of two training centers, a significant increase cannot be expected unless course length is reduced. During Phase II, some 950 trainees (59% of target) will complete feeder (prevocational) instruction and some 850 placements (63%) will be made. Training was also provided to 241 redundant civil servants in a special effort which forced centers into two-shift operation. The value of OIC"s training methodology is shown by the superior level of its graduates. Almost 53% of OIC trainees are considered above-average by employers/supervisors, and another 30% considered average - both figures far above what might be expected from a group of school leavers. However, lowered industrial activity and heightened employer selectivity are decreasing the marketability and bargaining power of OIC graduates, who lack the nationally recognized National Vocational Training Institute (NVTI) Certificate; OIC is incorporating NVTI standards into its curricula. While OIC/Ghana"s claims a 100% placement rate, its count includes multiple placements (i.e., frequent job changes) for the same individuals. The true placement rate, although undoubtedly high, is unknown. Likewise, the claimed 94% job retention rate is probably overstated, again because of "job-hopping" for better pay. Although OIC"s open enrollment policy and individually paced nonformal training are not wholly comparable to other vocational programs, its costs are close to those of other Ghanaian institutions. The program"s major shortcoming is a lack of long-term planning and of procedures defining local/national roles and responsibilities.