The Chief Executive Officer of the National Youth Authority (NYA), Osman Abdullai Ayariga Esq., has called for technical and vocational education to be integrated as a core component of Ghana’s secondary school curriculum to better prepare young people for employment and reduce youth unemployment.
Speaking in an interview with Nyansapo News on the sidelines of World Youth Skills Day, Mr. Ayariga said technical education should not end at the Junior High School (JHS) level but should continue through secondary education.
“What I think is that technical education should not only end within the JHS. It should be continued as a core programme or a core sector within the secondary schools,” he said.
According to him, exposing students to practical skills while in secondary school would enable them to acquire competencies in areas such as catering, carpentry and other trades, giving them opportunities to pursue those skills beyond secondary education.
He argued that Ghana must deliberately shift more young people towards technical and vocational training if the country is to build a workforce capable of meeting the needs of the economy.
“We have produced too many graduates, yet we still have high unemployment, and we need to move from there to a lot of technical educational training,” he said.
Soft skills equally important
Mr. Ayariga stressed that technical competence alone would not be enough to guarantee employment or sustainable livelihoods, noting that young people must also be equipped with essential soft skills.
He identified communication, behavioural skills and time management as some of the competencies that should complement technical and vocational training.
He explained that a young person could be highly skilled in a particular trade but still struggle to retain customers if they lacked professionalism or failed to deliver services on time.
“Beyond just the technical skills or the talent that one may learn, we also need to look at some soft skills such as communication, behavioural skills and time management,” he said.
Using fashion design as an example, the NYA CEO said a talented fashion designer who consistently failed to meet deadlines agreed with clients could lose business regardless of the quality of their work.
He said incorporating soft skills into technical training would help young people transition more effectively from training into employment and entrepreneurship.
National Apprenticeship Programme
Mr. Ayariga further disclosed that the NYA is currently implementing the government’s National Apprenticeship Programme, a flagship initiative aimed at equipping young people with practical skills while preparing them for the world of work.
He said the programme goes beyond trade-specific skills by incorporating additional competencies, including computer literacy, financial management and bookkeeping.
According to him, these complementary skills are essential for young people who intend to establish and manage their own businesses after completing their apprenticeship.
“We are implementing the President’s flagship programme, the National Apprenticeship Programme, and this is to help many young people learn various skills beyond just the hard skills, while also developing soft skills such as computer literacy, financial management and bookkeeping,” he said.
He appealed to development partners and other stakeholders to support the National Youth Authority in implementing the programme, stressing that broader partnerships would help expand opportunities for young people across the country.
Mr. Ayariga expressed optimism that strengthening technical and vocational education, alongside soft-skills development and apprenticeship opportunities, could contribute significantly to addressing Ghana’s persistent youth unemployment challenge.
He said a stronger focus on practical skills would not only improve the employability of young people but also help create a workforce capable of supporting economic growth and national development.
By Sampson Kumah Ifeetwube Elvis
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