Stop Looking Down on Vocational Jobs: YEA Boss Malik Basintale Send Strong Message to Ghanaian Youth

The Chief Executive Officer of the Youth Employment Agency (YEA), Malik Basintale, is advocating a shift in society’s perception of technical and vocational education, arguing that practical skills must be recognised as an important pathway to employment and economic productivity.

Basintale’s position challenges the long standing perception that vocational training is inferior to conventional academic education or formal white-collar employment. Instead, he believes technical and vocational skills should be treated as essential tools for empowering young people, expanding economic opportunities and strengthening national development.

His call comes amid ongoing discussions about youth unemployment and the need to equip young people with practical competencies that respond to the demands of the labour market.

For many years, formal education leading to office-based employment has often been regarded as the preferred route to success. Consequently, careers in fields such as carpentry, plumbing, electrical installation, welding, fashion design and other technical trades have sometimes received less recognition than they deserve.

Basintale’s advocacy seeks to challenge this mindset by highlighting the importance of vocational skills in promoting productive economic participation.

Technical and vocational education and training can provide young people with the practical knowledge required to establish businesses, secure employment and deliver essential services. It can also create opportunities for self-employment, allowing skilled individuals to generate income without depending entirely on conventional salaried jobs.

For an economy seeking to expand employment opportunities, strengthening vocational education could help bridge the gap between the skills young people acquire and the needs of businesses and industries.

The YEA, which focuses on youth employment interventions, has a significant interest in ensuring that young people have access to opportunities that enable them to earn sustainable incomes and contribute meaningfully to national development.

A broader acceptance of vocational careers could also encourage more young people to consider technical training when deciding on their educational and professional paths.

Beyond changing public attitudes, the push for vocational education requires practical support, including access to modern training facilities, qualified instructors, industry-relevant programmes and opportunities for hands-on experience. Young people who pursue these careers also need access to tools, financing and markets to translate their skills into sustainable livelihoods.

Employers and industry players have a role to play by recognising competence, rewarding skilled work fairly and creating opportunities for vocational trainees to gain practical experience.

Basintale’s position reinforces the argument that economic success should not be measured solely by the type of certificate a person holds or whether they work in an office. Rather, the ability to apply knowledge, solve problems, provide services and create value should be central to how society assesses professional achievement.

As Ghana continues to confront youth employment challenges, changing attitudes towards technical and vocational education could help unlock opportunities for thousands of young people.

Ultimately, vocational skills should not be viewed as a last resort for those unable to secure formal employment, but as a valuable route to independence, innovation and economic growth.

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