Make commitments to skills development, job creation - Labour Minister to industry

The Minister of Labour, Jobs and Employment, Dr Abdul-Rashid Pelpuo, has called on industry players to make long-term commitments to skills development and job creation to support the government's agenda of creating two million dignified jobs by 2028.

He stressed that youth unemployment and underemployment remained high, with nearly 300,000 young people entering the labour force yearly.

Therefore, sustainable job creation requires industry to move beyond short-term gestures and actively co-create training pathways that equip the youth with practical skills aligned to evolving workforce needs.

Dr Pelpuo made the call in Accra yesterday at the opening of the 2025 Jobs and Opportunities Fair, organised by the Design and Technology Institute (DTI) in collaboration with the Mastercard Foundation.

“Our industry leaders must understand that your role must evolve beyond corporate social responsibility into strategic co-creation. We need you to embed expertise in curriculum design.

Today, I challenge every employer here to take up the teeming job seekers and beyond because it is part of the contribution to creating the two million jobs,” he said.

Fair

The two-day event is on the theme, "The Career Expedition: Pathways, Partnerships, Possibilities — a mindset journey towards self-discovery”.

The two-day career expedition fair brought together stakeholders to explore pathways to employment and innovation.

It featured panel discussions, skill exhibitions, employer networking and workshops on entrepreneurship, branding and technology economy strategies.

The highlights included CV reviews, policy forums, and showcases of DTI learners’ technical competencies across various industries.

Dr Pelpuo emphasised the urgent need to close the country’s “skills chasm,” with 65 per cent of firms citing skills mismatches as a hiring barrier.

He lauded DTI’s Precision Quality and Workplace Experience Learning models, urging national adoption to align education with industry needs and prepare youth for fast-changing, tech-driven careers.

The Employment Minister reiterated the government’s commitment to long-term partnerships beyond ceremonial support through regulatory reforms, such as reviewing the Labour Act and activating the Labour Market Information System.

Emphasising green jobs, the minister urged training in areas such as solar energy and e-waste management to prepare the youth for emerging roles in Ghana’s green economy.

DTI’s impact

The Founder and President of the Design and Technology Institute (DTI), Constance Swaniker, underscored the urgent need for mindset transformation as the foundation of national progress.

She emphasised that DTI was not merely producing job seekers, but nurturing value creators, innovators, and industry leaders.

In response to global disruption driven by technology, climate change, and shifting demographics, she iterated the importance of equipping the youth with both technical skills and the courage, vision, and adaptability to lead.

Ms Swaniker stressed that the country’s underemployment crisis stemmed not from a lack of talent, but from weak linkages between education and industry.

Therefore, she stated that DTI’s inclusive, hands-on fair was designed to bridge that gap, bringing together stakeholders from all sectors, including the informal economy, which she described as Ghana’s economic engine.

She urged the youth to learn in-demand skills such as welding, software development, and digital fabrication, declaring that in today’s world, skills and not degrees are the true currency of opportunity.

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