Curtis Perry Okudzeto, Deputy Minister of Youth and Sports has said, discussions are ongoing to reposition the Technical and Vocational Education and Training Programme (TVET), aimed at bridging the unemployment gap among the youth.

According to him, the challenge with TVET in Africa, was with the branding and how it has been packaged over the years, which has prompted an Act of Parliament to set up the Council for Technical and Vocational Education and Training (COTVET) to coordinate and oversee all aspects of technical and vocational education and training in the country, be under the supervision of the Ministry of Education.

“Ghana changed its educational system by implementing the Junior and Senior High school systems to create an avenue for workshops to be constructed in the first and Second cycle schools to train students. It was meant ensure a combination of theoretical and practical education to further equip students in their career paths.

“One major stride made by the Akufo-Addo led administration is the introduction of the Free Senior High School Program, which seeks to take up the fees of students in the Senior High Schools as well as the Technical and Vocational Institutions” he said.

He congratulated UNDP for making strides to address the myriad of issues affecting youth development in the continent and described the Youth Conneckt Programme being spearheaded by the Rwandan Government as a brilliant initiative to address youth related issues.

He made this know when a delegation from the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) led by Ms. Sylvia Senu, UNDP Economic Analyst, called on him in Accra to discuss the Review of the TVET and Youth Conneckt Programs.

Ms. Senu noted that the team was on a review mission, which was part of the many set deliverables on the Youth Conneckt Program, whilst researching into the TVET on the African continent.

She said despite TVET's long existence in Africa, there still abound some challenges that needed to be addressed to serve the purpose of bridging the unemployment gap among the youth.

Mrs. Eya Nchama Blondine, a member of the team also indicated that there was a mismatch between educational curriculum and skills needed for a chosen career path, which the team has been tasked to critically examine the TVET program, with its opportunities and challenges in a bid to develop the youth sector and plan a strategy with the use of technical skills.