Youth To Benefit From Apprenticeship, Jobs Programmes

The government has unveiled a number of skills development, employment and entrepreneurship programmes aimed at equipping young Ghanaians with the requisite skills and opportunities to secure sustainable livelihoods.

The programmes include the expanded National Apprenticeship Programme, Labour Exchange Programme, Domestic Care Economy initiative and the Graduates in Corporate Support (GRiCS) programme.

Minister of Youth Development and Empowerment, George Opare-Addo, announced this at the opening of the 2026 National Youth Conference held at the Great Hall of the Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology (KNUST), Kumasi.

The conference, organised by the National Youth Authority (NYA) in collaboration with the Ministry of Youth Development and Empowerment, forms part of activities marking the 2026 National Youth Month celebration.

It is being held on the theme: “Rebuilding Values, Inspiring Patriotism: Empowering the Youth in the Digital Age.”

Mr Opare-Addo said government was determined to ensure that skills acquired by young people were linked to opportunities in the labour market.

“You cannot tell a young person to acquire skills when there is no connection between those skills and the labour market,” he said.

He explained that the National Apprenticeship Programme was developed after consultations with labour unions, research and an assessment of skills gaps in the economy.

According to him, the programme had been tailored to the economic activities of various regions to enable beneficiaries to find jobs within their communities instead of travelling to Accra or Kumasi in search of employment.

“We are not just training people, but we are matching it with skills. Region by region, the programmes we run reflect the local economies of those regions,” he stated.

He said the programme was also using the master-apprentice system to facilitate the transition of young people from training into employment.

Jobs Abroad

The Minister said the Youth Employment Agency (YEA) was creating new employment opportunities through the Labour Exchange Programme.

He said the programme would facilitate the movement of skilled Ghanaian workers to countries where their skills were needed.

“While Africa is young, Europe, Asia and America are ageing and require a lot of young people to man their factories,” he said.

Mr Opare-Addo also announced that government would next year launch the Domestic Care Economy under the YEA to provide young people with skills and sustainable employment opportunities.

60% Retention

He further disclosed plans to strengthen the transition from school to work through the National Service Authority.

According to him, the Graduates in Corporate Support (GRiCS) programme would provide national service personnel with extended employment opportunities after completing their mandatory service.

He said data showed that national service personnel who worked with government institutions could spend between four and 10 years before securing employment, while those who served in the private sector spent between one and three years.

He said government would therefore channel more national service personnel into the private sector, where sustainable jobs existed.

Private sector organisations participating in the GRiCS programme, he added, would be expected to retain at least 60 per cent of national service personnel assigned to them.

Youth Entrepreneurship

Mr Opare-Addo said government was also supporting young entrepreneurs through the Adwumawura programme, which provides training, incubation and funding to enable young people to establish and grow businesses.

He stressed that the focus was not only on providing capital but also on equipping beneficiaries with the skills required to build sustainable enterprises.

He said government would also assist beneficiaries with business registration to ensure their businesses were properly established.

He mentioned the SEEK (Student Enterprise and Innovation Development) programme, which supports tertiary students with innovative ideas and business plans.

He said the initiative was aimed at ensuring that promising ideas developed by students did not remain on paper but were transformed into viable businesses.

Govt Needs Support

The Minister stressed that government could not address youth unemployment alone.

He called for greater involvement of the private sector, financial institutions, universities and other stakeholders in creating jobs and expanding opportunities for young people.

Youth Not A Problem

The Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of the National Youth Authority, Osman Abdulai Ayariga, said the conference was primarily for the youth and was intended to provide them with a platform to participate in discussions about their future.

He urged young people to use digital technology not only to consume content but also to create businesses, develop innovative solutions and contribute to national development.

Mr Ayariga said integrity, discipline, respect and responsibility must guide the conduct of young people both online and offline.

He urged the youth not to allow themselves to be described as a problem to Ghana, stressing that they were instead an important force for national transformation.

“Don’t use your phone only to watch other people build—use it to build. Don’t only scroll—create. Don’t only complain—contribute. Don’t only wait for opportunity—prepare for it,” he stated.

He said the NYA would continue working with government institutions, development partners, civil society organisations, academia, the private sector and youth organisations to expand opportunities for young people.

Mr Ayariga encouraged participants to actively engage in the conference, ask questions, share their experiences and develop practical solutions to challenges confronting their communities.

KNUST VC

The Vice-Chancellor of KNUST, Professor Christian Agyare, said the theme of the conference was timely, particularly in an era of artificial intelligence, social media and digital enterprise.

He urged young people to embrace technology while maintaining values such as hard work, integrity, patriotism and service.

“Skills without integrity can be misused, and knowledge without character can become destructive,” he cautioned.

Prof Agyare also urged the youth to reject the “get-rich-quick” mentality and build their success through hard work, honesty, creativity and perseverance.

He said patriotism must go beyond words and involve contributing to communities, respecting public institutions and using one’s talents to solve Ghana’s problems.

He assured the conference of KNUST’s support and expressed the hope that the deliberations would produce practical outcomes for young people across the country.