Ghana education regulatory bodies, the cause of graduates unemployment

TVET (Technical and Vocational Education and Training) refers to all forms and levels of education and training which provide knowledge and skills related to occupations in various sectors of economic and social life through formal, non-formal, and informal learning methods in both school-based and work-based learning contexts. To achieve its aims and purposes, TVET focuses on the learning and mastery of specialized techniques and the scientific principles underlying those techniques, as well as general knowledge, skills, and values. Technical and Vocational Education and Training (TVET) has proven to be essential in promoting economic growth and socioeconomic development. TVET has long been considered by UNESCO as a key area in education, as it continuously faces challenges in preparing workers with dynamic knowledge (Maclean, 2010). Why are Graduates Unemployed? There are fewer job openings relative to the vast number of students who graduate from various Tertiary Institutions in the country. One root cause of the current graduate unemployment problem is the mismatch between the supply by schools and the demand in the labor market. Most Governments want to ensure the production of a well-educated, skilled and informed population. A population that is capable of utilizing its knowledge and skills to transform the key sectors of the economy for wealth creation and poverty reduction is most desirable. A good number of countries are implementing various interventions to improve the quality of their education, to achieve the rationale for good education, most countries have instituted several educational policies at the basic school level through to the tertiary level. Individuals acquire knowledge and skills through basic and higher education, including Technical and Vocational Training, to become more competitive in the labor market and also have a chance of being gainfully employed. However, one of the pressing socio-economic challenges that most countries face is the persistently high rate of unemployment, and Ghana is no exception. Unemployment has been a major problem in Ghana and most worrying is the canker of graduate unemployment. Unemployment and productivity are serious problems facing the younger generation of Ghana today. The 2021 population and housing census indicate the overall Youth population in Ghana (15-35 age range approximately 11.7 million), with the Youth Unemployment rate at 19.7% estimating 1,140,009 (Ghana Statistical Service, 2021 Population and Housing Census, World Bank). Why promote the technical universities than the traditional universities The education think-tank Africa, education watch has asserted that out of about 110,000 students who graduate from university, only 10% percent secure jobs after their national service. According to a statistical report on tertiary education. Technical and vocational education and training (TVET) have proven to be essential in promoting economic growth and socio-economic development which I think the government and the society should support by promoting Technical Universities which would help individuals to be self-employed when they have courses like Electrical Engineering, Fashion, Building Technology, Mechanical Engineering and many more which they can start establishing themselves in business after school, which happens to help them to be self-employed as a solution to reduce unemployment in the country. The Auditor-General’s report for 2021, revealed that some academic programs offered by the Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology (KNUST) have not been accredited. This clearly tells us that traditional universities produce a lot of canker graduates to society which increases the Unemployment rate every year. Recommendation We are calling on the Government to come out with policies to stop the Traditional Universities from spreading their wings and opening campuses in regions where technical universities or vocational are located We want educational Regulatory Bodies to start Regulating what goes in and out to reduce the huge number of students opting to go for skill training and demand-driven programs rather instead of concentrating on general education. Also, the Education Regulatory Bodies, such as Ghana Tertiary Education Commission (GTEC) and the Commission for TVET (CTVET) need to take a direct interest in regulating the enrolment of students into studying programs that do not actually train students to gain skills that are industry-led and demand-driven. Skills training that prepares the students to have entrepreneurship and hands-skills must be the cardinal focus of the regulatory bodies.