An Assessment of the Apprenticeship System as a Means of Acquiring Sewing Skills in Ghana

Abstract

The purpose of the study was to investigate the current state of the apprenticeship system in acquiring sewing skills in Ghana. The study area was Kaneshie Market in Accra. The proportional random sampling technique was used to select forty (40) master-craftsmen and fifty-four (54) apprentices respectively. A structured interview questionnaire was used to interview the respondents. The Microsoft excel software was employed to analyze the data and the results represented in frequency, percentage distribution tables, bar and pie charts. It was revealed in the study that not many people would like to go into sewing apprenticeship in recent years. The result showed that, majority of the apprentices dropped out in the first year of apprenticeship compared to the second and third years and there were no clear cut methods of training apprentices. It is suggested that the government should provide support to members of the National Tailors and Dressmakers Association to upgrade their skills in collaboration with the technical institutes and be assisted to develop a common curriculum and teaching methods for members to adopt in training apprentices.

Keywords: assessment, apprenticeship, sewing skills