Since the inception of the Polytechnic as a Trades Training Centre, its catchments area has been mainly the three regions of the North, namely Northern, Upper East and Upper West. In spite of the fact that there is a Polytechnic in very region across the country, the student population of the Tamale Polytechnic still has a reasonable level of influence  in the three regions and even beyond. This is an indication that the Polytechnic continues to maintain a long – standing role as the premier training institution for middle and high levels of technical and managerial personnel for the North and beyond.