While thousands of Ghanaian students and parents are currently making critical choices about Senior High School programmes following the Basic Education Certificate Examination (BECE), Talent Acquisition Specialist at Jobberman Ghana, Alfred Quaye, is urging them to look beyond the traditional pursuit of white-collar careers and consider Technical and Vocational Education and Training (TVET).
The Jobberman Talent Acquisition Specialist reveals that the TVET space is where employer demand is increasingly strong.
According to Alfred Quaye, data available to Jobberman from its engagement with employers shows that TVET-trained young people are finding employment faster, yet many students continue to overlook technical and vocational pathways in favour of conventional academic programmes.
Speaking during The High Street Journal’s The High Street Talks on Career Coaching for BECE and WASSCE Students and Parents, he said TVET remains one of the areas young people should seriously consider if their priority is to transition from education into employment.
90% Moved Into Jobs After a Training
Alfred Quaye cited a collaboration between Jobberman and TVET institutions last year, during which about 250 young people underwent additional skills training after completing their courses.
The outcome, he said, was highly encouraging as companies and factories in Tema subsequently presented job openings for people with the relevant technical skills. This enabled Jobberman to connect about 90% of the trainees to jobs shortly after completing the training.
This experience contrasts sharply with the situation of some degree holders registered on Jobberman’s platform who, according to Alfred Quaye, have struggled to secure their first jobs for as long as five years after national service.
The contrast raises an uncomfortable question for students choosing their SHS pathways: Is the most prestigious-looking educational route necessarily the one with the strongest employment prospects?
The ‘White-Collar’ Trap
Alfred Quaye believes part of the problem is perception. Many young people and parents continue to associate success with university degrees and office-based professions, while viewing technical and vocational careers as less attractive.
Yet factories, construction companies, manufacturing businesses, engineering firms, automobile workshops, electrical contractors and other industries require people who can actually operate equipment, install systems, repair machinery and perform specialised technical tasks.
In other words, while some graduates may be competing for a limited number of office jobs, technically skilled workers can be competing for vacancies that employers are actively struggling to fill.
A Message for BECE Graduates
With BECE graduates currently making choices that could shape their careers, the insight from Quaye offers a practical consideration for parents and students. Choosing pathways based on prestige alone, rather than where the economy is creating demand, could be harmful to future prospects and employability.
A student who enjoys practical work, machinery, technology, construction, engineering, electrical systems, automotive work, welding, plumbing, manufacturing or other technical fields could potentially find TVET a more direct pathway into employment.
This does not mean every TVET graduate is guaranteed a job, nor that university education has become irrelevant. Rather, it highlights the importance of matching aptitude and career interests with actual labour-market demand.
Skills Could Be the New Advantage
As the country continues to grapple with graduate unemployment, Alfred Quaye’s evidence suggests that TVET should no longer be treated as an alternative for students who cannot pursue university education.
It could instead be viewed as a pathway into skills that employers are actively looking for.
