The Founder and President of the Design & Technology Institute (DTI), Constance Elizabeth Swaniker, has raised concerns about the growing mismatch between youth capabilities and labour market demands, pointing to a lack of soft skills as a major barrier to youth employment in Ghana and across Africa.

Speaking at the 2025 Jobs and Opportunities Fair, organised by the Design and Technology Institute (DTI) in collaboration with the MasterCard Foundation in the Cedi Conference Center, University of Ghana, Swaniker noted that while many young graduates may possess technical qualifications, they often lack the interpersonal and professional competencies that employers increasingly require in today’s dynamic work environment.

“the conversation is around how young people are transitioned, you find that in today’s world of work especially even more crucially because of technology-the role of soft skills, you find a young person coming for an interview, he is not well prepared, doesn’t dress well, cv not well put together, he cannot communicate properly and I think that this are issues that hinder young people from getting opportunities” she noted.

Ms Swaniker stressed that the country’s underemployment crisis stemmed not from a lack of talent, but from weak linkages between education and industry.

In addition to soft skills, Ms. Swaniker emphasised the importance of mentorship in shaping the career paths of young people.

She described mentorship as a vital tool for building confidence, fostering professionalism, and bridging the gap between education and industry expectations.

“I would also want to stress mentorship, young people need mentors, and I think that’s something that we don’t do too well, but we need to give our time to mentor young people for them to see positive role models.”

“And then also career guidance and counseling, a lot of young people are unsure even right from the start, they study for degrees that is not even in demand crucially now because of AI. So how do we guide them make sure they are more intentional to where demands for job will be,” she urged

The Founder and President of the Design and Technology Institute (DTI), Constance Elizabeth Swaniker, emphasised the critical need for a mindset shift as a cornerstone for national development. She noted that DTI’s mission extends beyond producing job seekers—it is focused on nurturing value creators, innovators, and future industry leaders.

Addressing the broader context of global disruption driven by technological advancement, climate change, and demographic shifts, she stressed the importance of equipping young people not only with technical expertise but also with the courage, vision, and adaptability required to lead in an uncertain and rapidly evolving world.

On his part, Minister of Labour, Jobs and Employment, Dr. Abdul-Rashid Pelpuo, who graced the event, underscored the urgent need to bridge the country’s widening “skills gap,” noting skills mismatches as a major obstacle to recruitment.

He commended the Design & Technology Institute’s (DTI) Precision Quality and Workplace Experience Learning models, describing them as innovative frameworks that should be scaled nationally to better align education with industry demands and equip young people for rapidly evolving, technology-driven careers.

“All along in this country we have trained people to think logically, how to be lawyers, economists, and teachers but our emphasis is not on how to create a system that makes you do all these things, how do we construct a house without going to copy from Europe or America, how do we construct a vehicle, bicycle and anything we want, do we need to be buying everything from outside”

“So this industry is now focused on helping young people to acquire the needed skills to enable them invent something that has not been invented in Ghana, I’ve seen here so many inventions, this is the way for Ghana to break away from the total dependence on external to internal capacity to create and be able to export and that is going to boost our economy and create a lot of impetus to move forward as an independent economic entity” he stated.

He further reaffirmed government’s commitment to long-term strategic partnerships beyond ceremonial support through regulatory reforms, such as reviewing the Labour Act and activating the Labour Market Information System as key steps toward strengthening the employment ecosystem.

Design and Technology Institute (DTI), a pioneering institution in precision fabrication and skills training, has been at the forefront of integrating soft skills into its competency-based training model.

Through its “Precision Quality” training programme, DTI incorporates modules on personal effectiveness, ethical behaviour, and workplace communication to better prepare learners for real-world demands.