CTVET marks world youth skills day 2022

The Commission for Technical and Vocational Education and Training (CTVET) on Friday 15th July, 2022 marked the World Youth Skills Day 2022 at Don Bosco Technical Institute in Accra, Tema.

In 2014, the United Nations General Assembly declared 15 July as World Youth Skills Day, to celebrate the strategic importance of equipping young people with skills for employment, decent work and entrepreneurship. Since then, World Youth Skills Day has provided a unique opportunity for dialogue between young people, technical and vocational education and training (TVET) institutions, firms, employers’ and workers’ organizations, policy-makers and development partners.

World Youth Skills Day 2022 takes place amid concerted efforts toward socio-economic recovery from the COVID-19 pandemic that are interconnected with challenges such as climate change, conflict, persisting poverty, rising inequality, rapid technological change, demographic transition and others.

The keynote speaker for the event, Hon. Gifty Twum Ampofo, Deputy Minister for Education, TVET in her address indicated that “celebrating days like this sends a message to young people: that the government and the Ministry of Education understand the challenges the youth are facing, particularly in the rural areas in Ghana. By the same token, young people need to use these opportunities to hold both the government and its ministries and agencies accountable for the progress (or lack thereof) of youth policies. World Youth Skills Day is a chance for young people like you to come together and become part of the change that we want — and expect — to see.”

Director General of CTVET, Dr. Fred Kyei Asamoah also said, “Government has massively invested in TVET over the last five years. The upgrading and modernization of all the erstwhile 34 National Vocational and Technical Institutes (NVTI’s), Head Office together with 10 Regional Offices, 5 apprenticeship offices across the country, and the Opportunity Industrialization Center in Accra comprising of the Construction, Rehabilitation and Equipping of Laboratories, Workshops, additional Classrooms, Hostels, Administrative Offices supported with some 123 million euros is set to be completed in July 2022. Also, two (2) New Foundries and machining centers, one in CSIR (Accra) and the other at KNUST, Kumasi will be completed this year”.

The World Youth Skills Day was celebrated under the theme “Unlocking the full potential of the Ghanaian youth through Technical and Vocational Educational and Training”.

As part of the activities for the celebration, there was an exhibition by the Don Bosco Technical Institute for visitors to see what the school had to offer as well as a panel discussion to address pertinent challenges facing the youth on the day.

The panellists were made up of Ing. Peter Antwi Boasiako (Deputy Director General of CTVET), Mr. Nelson Owusu Ansah (Deputy CEO, National Youth Authority), Mr, Samuel Amegayibor (Chairperson, Sector Skills Bodies) and Mr. Ahmed Akusie Osei (GNUTS National President).