1.2 million SHS graduates will be hired – Minister of Employment

General news for Wednesday, September 30, 2020

Source: www.ghanaweb.com

2020-09-30

The government is strategically planning to guarantee the employment of around 1.2 million graduates from upper secondary schools, as well as technical and vocational institutions, revealed the Minister of Employment and Labor Relations, Ignatius Baffour-Awuah.

He said the high sponsorship of the free SHS has forced the government to find a lasting solution to unemployment among second cycle graduates.

The sector minister indicated that the massive admission of students to the Free SHS will see an increase in unemployment, but the government is working hard to address the problem.

“The unemployment problem is expected to grow in the short to medium term due to the success of the government’s free SHS program and planned TVET for higher technical colleges,” the minister said at the launch of a World Bank report on youth unemployment in Ghana.

He added: “More than 1.2 million young people will graduate annually from second cycle institutions to enroll in tertiary education or training or to go directly to the labor markets. This is an increase from the 800,000 students enrolled in secondary schools in 2016. Therefore, efforts must be duplicated to ensure that there are employment opportunities for the products of our education and training institutions ”.

According to him, the government will encourage young people to enroll in agribusiness and will also nurture people with entrepreneurial qualities.

“The cassava business project, the national entrepreneurship plan and the presidential speech are key examples of some of the interventions the government is using to provide employment for young people. These efforts are in addition to traditional employment opportunities in the formal sectors of the economy, ”Ignatius Baffour-Awuah said.

The Minister also noted that the government will partner with local and international entities to ensure youth employment.