The Minister for Labour, Jobs and Employment, Dr Abdul-Rashid Hassan Pelpuo, has called for an end to the long-standing stigmatisation of Technical and Vocational Education and Training (TVET), describing it as a powerful tool to combat Ghana's growing youth unemployment.
"We must collectively retire the outdated stigma that has long shadowed TVET," Dr Pelpuo said at the opening of the 2025 DTI Jobs and Opportunities Fair held at the University of Ghana.
The two-day event, themed "The Career Expedition: Pathways, Partnerships, Possibilities - A Mindset Journey Towards Self-Discovery," was organised by the Design and Technology Institute (DTI) in collaboration with Design Precision, under the auspices of the Mastercard Foundation. In his keynote address, Dr Pelpuo emphasised that "skills are not a consolation prize," but key to self-discovery, national development, and global competitiveness. He described the country's unemployment crisis as alarming, noting that between 300,000 and 500,000 young people enter the job market each year--yet nearly 60 per cent remain unemployed or underemployed.
He reaffirmed government's commitment to tackling this challenge, with plans to create thousands of jobs by 2028. "This monumental pledge is far more than political rhetoric. It is a survival pact for our collective future," he stated.
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Dr Pelpuo commended DTI's dual education model, which blends classroom learning with factory-floor simulations, describing it as a "powerful example of partnership between academia and industry." He pledged the Ministry's support to job creation initiatives through policy reforms and regulatory backing.
DTI Founder and President, Ms Constance Elizabeth Swaniker, described the fair as a "career expedition" rather than just a job placement exercise. "We are not just training young people to join the workforce. We are equipping them to become creators of value, innovators of systems, and leaders of industries," she said.
She emphasised the importance of integrating Ghana's informal sector--which employs nearly 80 per cent of the workforce--into national employment strategies. "It should not be an afterthought. The informal sector is the engine of our economy," she stressed.
Activities at the fair included skills demonstrations, CV reviews, internship matchmaking, employer insight sessions, and exhibitions.
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Ms Swaniker noted that DTI, with support from the Mastercard Foundation, is working to build "pathways to dignified and fulfilling work" and urged greater alignment between education, industrialisation, and global competitiveness.
To the youth, she said: "Learn a skill that is in demand. The world is looking for builders, makers, and problem solvers. Practical competencies are what will open doors and create livelihoods."
