Ghana is witnessing a positive paradigm shift in its technical and vocational education subsector.
This is because university graduates in the country are now fervently enrolling in technical and vocational learning institutions to acquire skills to either gain employment or set up their own businesses.
In time past, vocational and technical training in Ghana was largely perceived as a domain for school dropouts (mostly Junior High and primary school dropouts) and illiterates.
On the contrary, Director of Abrantie College, Ghana’s premiere fashion and cosmetology institute, King David Thompson, has indicated that the narrative was changing for the better.
Speaking to journalists in an interview on the sidelines of the 12th graduation ceremony of Abrantie College, on Friday November 15, 2019, in Accra, Mr. Thompson said more and more university graduates in Ghana were now seeking technical skills.
To illustrate, he indicated that, among the 258 graduands at the Abrantie College’s graduation ceremony, about 20 percents already had degrees from universities across Ghana before enrolling in Abrantie College for skills training.
Asked if the notion of technical and vocational education had been a preserve for only ‘illiterates,’ he retorted by saying, “it used to be but now I could tell you it’s changing gradually because, if you look at most of the students I could say about 20 percent of them have already finished university and now they have realised they need the skill so that is why they are back to school.”
“Gone are those days where you won’t even see a secondary school leaver even coming but just the school drop out or JHS graduate”, he stressed.
Asked about the future outlook of vocational education in Ghana, he responded “I believe in the near future, Ghana will go far.”
He has therefore encouraged Government to continue with the Technical and Vocational Education Training (TVET) sponsorship programme.
He is optimistic that the sponsorship programme would greatly benefit Ghana.