Empowering the Future: Overcoming Obstacles in Ghanaian TVET Colleges

Author Information

Stella Daah Siaw, Wesley College of Education, Ghana
Agnes Abankwah, Wesley College of Education, Ghana
Faustina Busumbru, St. Louis College of Education, Ghana

Abstract

This study examined the major obstacles affecting the performance of Technical and Vocational Education and Training (TVET) colleges in Ghana and assessed their implications for student learning and employability. A mixed-methods approach was used, drawing on survey data from 120 students and 30 instructors, supported by semi-structured interviews and direct observations across five institutions. The findings showed that inadequate training resources were a central challenge, with more than 60% of students reporting insufficient equipment and observational assessments indicating that some institutions operated with less than 40% functional workshop tools. Teaching quality was similarly constrained, as 56% of respondents felt instructors were overstretched and unable to provide adequate practical supervision. Industry engagement was limited, with only 35% of students gaining industrial exposure, while industry partners noted that curricula lagged behind workplace technologies by three to five years. Public perception remained a significant barrier, with 75% of students indicating that TVET was viewed as inferior to general education. These structural and perceptual constraints weakened student confidence, reflected in only 45% feeling prepared for employment upon graduation. The study concluded that meaningful improvements in TVET require coordinated reforms across infrastructure, instructor development, industry collaboration, and institutional governance. It recommended targeted investments in equipment, stronger industry partnerships, continuous professional development for instructors, decentralised procurement processes, and a national campaign to reposition TVET as a valued skills pathway.

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• Category: Humanities - Teaching and Learning

Posted by James Alexander Gordon

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