Ghana marks International Youth Day with call on the youth to take advantage of advances in science and technology; explore these opportunities to the fullest as a way of propelling Ghana to become a developed country.

“This demands an awareness of global trends in different sectors, as well as a willingness to exploit these trends for the national benefit, Mr Sebastian Deh, Executive Director of the Council for Technical and Vocational Education and Training (COTVET) stated in a statement to the Ghana News Agency in Accra on Tuesday.

On the theme: "Youth and Mental Health," seeks to raise awareness on the theme as well as highlight the experiences of brave, young individuals who have chosen to speak out about these issues with the objective of overcoming stigma.

It will also focus on discrimination to ensure that young people with mental health conditions can lead full and healthy lives free from isolation and unnecessary shame, and openly seek the services and support they need.

Mr Deh therefore noted that the growing number of university graduates who are joining the ranks of the unemployed each year, should send a strong signal “to our youth to explore other avenues.

“As the Government Agency mandated by law to coordinate and oversee Technical and Vocational Education and Training in Ghana, we recognize the youth as our most important stakeholder. Indeed, they are the direct beneficiaries of our key policy interventions.

“We would like to take the opportunity to salute the youth of Ghana on the occasion of the celebration of the International Youth Day”.

He said over the years, different generations of Ghanaian youth have identified courses such as law, banking, accounting and politics as the key to prosperity and respect in society.

Valuable as these have been in the past, the evidence clearly shows that its benefit to our society is limited in recent times, the COTVET Executive Director stated.

He explained that a study of the economic history of countries that have successfully industrialized and become economic power houses shows that Technical and Vocational Education and Training (TVET) were given priority.

“It is impossible to become a modern society with efficient transport systems, well maintained roads and bridges, a vibrant manufacturing sector and a productive agricultural and extractive sector, without the necessary expertise to maintain such a system,” he said.

He said as the opportunities in the overemphasized sectors dwindle it is imperative that the youth of Ghana recognize TVET as the way to the future.

“Many youth who had the foresight to venture into TVET are now reaping the benefits. Our economy is in need of well trained professionals in the manufacturing, agriculture, mining, ICT, fashion, and oil and gas sectors.

“Young people, who enter these fields as well as many others in the TVET sector, have the opportunity to be employed by local and international firms, or set up their own businesses.

“We urge the youth of Ghana who have to take decisions about which courses to study or which careers to pursue, to take the time to find out about the opportunities available in TVET as a viable alternative to Grammar education,” he said.