INVESTIGATING THE IMPACT OF TECHNICAL AND VOCATIONAL EDUCATIONAL EDUCATION (TVET) ON YOUTH UNEMPLOYMENT IN GHANA

ABSTRACT Economists believe that human capital is necessary for development. This has resulted in a focus on the expansion of not just tertiary and secondary education, but also vocational education, and the use of manpower planning, as far as the Asian tigers are concerned (Taiwan, Republic of Korea, Hong Kong and Singapore) (Harris, 1996). Taking a cue from successful outcomes in Asia, this study therefore sought to find out how technical and vocational education has impacted youth unemployment in Ghana. TVET did face and continues to be plagued by persistent negative perception and other challenges even in the international context. Yet some countries, especially those in East Asia were able to grow rapidly and generate jobs especially for the youth because TVET played an important role in their development strategy. Thus, it makes sense to investigate the effect of TVET on youth unemployment in Ghana. Data was collected with Questionnaires and interviews from both current vocational school students and graduates, and a COTVET official. The research confirmed that though TVET faces a lot of challenges such as, lack of school materials, inefficient Ghanaian market, uncertified schools etc. TVET has played and still plays a significant role in creating employment for the youths especially those who come from low income families. It is imperative that the government and all other administrators of TVET understand and implement the recommendations made in this research project appropriately in order for the economy to benefit from TVET.