Reflections on World Youth Skills Day and my professional journey with TVET thus far

July 15th is #worldyouthskillsday! It was first declared in 2014 to celebrate the strategic importance of equipping young people with skills for employment, decent work and entrepreneurship. Due to technologial advancements and volatile labour markets, it is more important than ever to empower young people with modern, agile and adaptable skills in order to navigate those changes effectively.

Recognizing that #education is central to the achievement of the 2030 Agenda, technical and vocational education and training (#TVET) is, therefore, key to:

• reduce barriers in the access to the world of work,
• ensure that skills are relevant, recognized and certified,
• promote green skills and practices,
• and offer skills development opportunities for youth who are not in edcuation, employment and training (UNESCO-UNEVOC).

"Equipping young people with quality education, training and skills is essential. This World Youth Day reminds us that teachers stand at the forefront of this great global effort." - UN Secretary-General António Guterres

Under the theme 'Skilling teachers, trainers and youth for a transformative future', this year's #youthskillday is all about highlighting the innovative aspects of TVET and showcasing the crucial role that teachers, trainers and educators play in providing skills for young people - not only to successfully transition into the labour market but also to be able to actively engage in their communities.

It crossed my mind that today would also be a great opportunity to reflect about my professional journey with TVET over the last 3+ years with GIZ Ghana , so here it goes. I have to admit that TVET was not always my field of interest but that I rather stumbled across it. My colleagues from the Universit?t Duisburg-Essen might still remember that I was passionate about social protection and cash transfers back then, focusing most of my academic work on those topics and always imagining myself following a career path in that area.

However, I had the chance to join the Ghana Skills Development Initiative (#GSDI) as an intern in March 2020 and came to #Ghana with the intention to expand my horizon about how #developmentcooperation is done on the ground and acquire some practical experience?in a new topic. Unfortunately, COVID-19 hit and I had to travel out of Ghana after only 22 days in the country. Bye, practical experience!

Luckily, I was able to continue supporting the GSDI team remotely and even got the opportunity to join them full-time as a Junior Advisor from June 2020, coming back to Ghana on the first flight after the borders re-opened in September 2020. I am sure that during the pandemic we all practiced our vocational skills a bit, be it by gardening, cooking or doing other crafts. Did you?

After supporting the development of the TVET sector in Ghana for more than 10 years, GSDI came to an end in December 2022 (see the impact video below). In its last phase, I have assisted the first implementation of compentency-based training (#CBT) in three agricultural value chains (cashew, mango, oil palm), among other activities. CBT is hands-on, modular training that focuses on practical lessons in the school and an in-company experience that is called Workplace Experience Learning (WEL) here in Ghana. I have also supported the implementation of big contracts with partners like Solidaridad West Africa and WorldSkills Germany to further promote training and improve the image of TVET as a valuable career path for young people in Ghana.

Under GIZ's new programme "Support to the Transformation of the TVET System in Ghana" (2023 - 2026), I am taking on the role of a Technical Advisor for Private Sector Engagement in TVET, providing me with a new focus and challenge. The involvement of the industry is key for #skillsdevelopment and the delivery of TVET, however the engagement of the private sector is very limited in the Ghanaian TVET sector. Besides strengthening the already established Sector Skills Committees and supporting the implementation of Workplace Experience Learning, the project aims to foster the dialogue between public and private stakeholders and to find innovative ways to create linkages between training institutes and the industry. I am open for discussion and knowledge-sharing on that!

TVET has a lot of political moment in Ghana - and the Government is invested in a reform to harmonize the previously quite fragmented sector under the Ministry of Education and to transform TVET towards more demand-oriented and practical training offers that bridge the currently existing skills gap. But there are also a lot of challenges yet to be addressed, such as TVET financing, the qualifications of teachers, the infrastructure of TVET schools and the provision of practical learning, as well as the empowerment of girls in male-dominated trade areas. Not to speak about the transition from TVET into the labour market and the general lack of employment opportunities in the country.

Those 3+ years working in the TVET sector in Ghana have been full of project planning, working groups, meetings, events, contract monitoring and trainings. One of the most rewarding activities, however, were the field trips I have been able to do, visiting several TVET schools in many different regions in Ghana to examine our ongoing training programs and meeting many young people with huge potential and uncountable ideas. I want to acknowledge the amazing TVET professionals and learners I have met on my journey so far:

• the principals and teachers that truly want to have a positive impact in the lives of their students,
• the staff of the public agencies that work tiredless to improve structures and processes,
• nursing mothers bringing their babies to the classroom and the field in order to pursue new knowledge and support their families.

Honestly, I do believe it takes a long way to be able to be called a TVET expert. It's a complex field with a lot of different aspects to be taking into account, from curriculum development, training delivery, regulation, assessment and industry involvement to innovation. One thing is sure: TVET is exciting and important - and I can't wait to continue learning and contribute more, becoming a better professional and evolve into the advisor I envision myself.

"On World Youth Skills Day, let us unite in recognizing the potential of young people as catalysts for change and commit to providing them with the skills and opportunities they need to build a prosperous and sustainable world for all." - UNESCO-UNEVOC

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