The Ghana TVET Service (GTVETS) and the Design & Technology Institute (DTI) have signed a strategic partnership aimed at strengthening technical and vocational education and training (TVET), improving industry linkages and creating better employment opportunities for young people.

The Memorandum of Understanding (MoU), signed in Accra on Tuesday, September 15, 2026, establishes a Public–Private Partnership to improve TVET delivery, institutional capacity and the relevance of skills training to the needs of the labour market.

Speaking at the signing ceremony, Director-General of the Ghana TVET Service, Engr. Dr. Eric Kofi Adzroe, stressed the need to encourage more young people to pursue TVET education as Ghana seeks to develop a skilled workforce to support economic transformation.

He said stronger collaboration between government, training institutions and industry is necessary to make TVET more attractive and ensure that young people acquire skills that are relevant to the workplace.

According to him, the transformation of Ghana’s TVET system requires not only the provision of technical skills but also stronger institutions, qualified instructors, effective leadership and closer links with industry.

“The transformation of TVET requires strong collaboration between Government, training institutions and industry. Our young people must acquire skills that are relevant to the workplace, but our institutions must also have the systems, instructors, leadership and industry linkages required to deliver those skills effectively,” he said.

He said the partnership with DTI presents an opportunity to strengthen these areas and contribute to a more responsive and employment-oriented TVET system.

DTI pushes industry-focused training

The Founder and President of DTI, Constance Swaniker, said technical competence must be complemented by the right mindset and professional behaviour if graduates are to succeed in the workplace.

According to her, employers are not only interested in whether graduates can weld, fabricate or design, but also whether they can arrive on time, work safely, take responsibility and complete tasks according to specification.

“Technical ability may open the doors to the workshop, but the quality mindset is what allows a young person to remain there and to excel in the programme,” Ms Swaniker said.

She said DTI has therefore embedded industry participation throughout its training programmes through industry advisory committees.

The committees provide feedback on changing industry requirements, review curricula and help ensure that training remains aligned with workplace expectations.

“So industry is not consulted at the end of our programme. It is embedded throughout. That is why our graduates leave us job-ready, not merely training-ready,” she said.

Ms Swaniker said DTI’s approach is designed to build an ecosystem that connects apprenticeship and technical training to workplace experience, employment and entrepreneurship.

Focus on workplace experience and apprenticeships

Under the partnership, the Ghana TVET Service and DTI will assess TVET institutions to identify their strengths and gaps and direct capacity-building interventions to areas where they are most needed.

The institutions will also invest in the development of trainers and institutional leaders while strengthening teaching and learning practices.

A key component of the partnership will be bringing industry closer to training through structured Workplace Experience Learning, stronger industry involvement and dual apprenticeship pathways.

The two institutions will also work to improve the transition from training into wage employment, self-employment and enterprise, while tracking employment outcomes more transparently.

Ms Swaniker further highlighted DTI’s Precision Quality (PQ) methodology, which complements technical training by developing quality consciousness, discipline, professionalism, accountability, teamwork and continuous improvement.

She said these qualities are essential to producing young people who can meet employer expectations in Ghana and compete in the global labour market.

The partnership will also explore opportunities to strengthen trainer and assessor capacity, institutional leadership, digital learning and management systems, data-driven decision-making, monitoring and evaluation, research and labour-market responsiveness.

The Ghana TVET Service and DTI will jointly develop programmes and mobilise technical and financial resources in collaboration with government, industry, development partners and other stakeholders.

The initiative comes at a time when Ghana is seeking to strengthen its human capital to support industrialisation and economic growth.

The partnership recognises the growing need for skilled workers in sectors such as infrastructure, manufacturing, construction and energy, where an industry-ready workforce will be critical to meeting future labour demand and creating sustainable employment opportunities.

The Ghana TVET Service and DTI say the ultimate objective is to build a stronger, industry-responsive TVET system that equips Ghanaian youth with the skills, mindset, workplace exposure and opportunities required to learn, work, lead and compete in Ghana and globally.