The Association of Ghana Industries (AGI) has called on small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) to adopt workplace-based training to enhance the employability of young people in Africa.

Mr Dela Gadzanku, the Vice President of AGI in charge of SMEs,

said workplace-based training should become the norm rather than the exception, considering its potential to contribute to the socio-economic development of African countries.

Mr Gadzanku made the call at the 2026 International Technical and Vocational Education and Training (TVET) Conference in Nairobi, Kenya, where he was a panelist.

The conference was held on the theme: “Skills that Work: Advancing Industry-TVET Collaboration for Sustainable Skills and Global Competitiveness,” which brought together more than 500 participants from 20 countries.

The participants, including government officials, private sector representatives, academics, TVET practitioners and civil society organisations discussed the strengthening of public-private partnerships to align training programmes with actual employer needs and promote job creation.

Mr Gadzanku spoke on the sub-theme: “Strengthening Industry-TVET Partnerships for Labour Market Relevance and Incentivization.”

He said closer collaboration between industry and TVET institutions was critical to ensuring that graduates acquired practical skills that matched the changing needs of the labour market.

He urged SMEs to provide more opportunities for young people to gain practical workplace experience, saying such exposure would help bridge the gap between classroom training and employment.

Mr Gadzanku, also responsible for AGI Youth in Business, encouraged TVET graduates to consider entrepreneurship as an alternative pathway to employment.

He said graduates should explore entrepreneurial opportunities using the innovative products and solutions they had developed through their training.

The AGI, he said, was creating a platform to enable its members to interface directly with job seekers through the soon-to-be-launched AGI Nkabom Job Portal.

The platform would help strengthen the connection between employers and job seekers while contributing to efforts to address youth unemployment.

Mr Gadzanku said effective industry-TVET partnerships required sustained engagement among employers, training institutions and policymakers to ensure that skills development remained relevant to economic needs.

Other panelists included representatives of the Kenya Employers Association, Kenya Commercial Bank Foundation, the International Labour Organisation(ILO) and GIZ Senegal.