A majority of young people have a positive attitude towards the Agriculture, Technical and Vocational sectors, with over 91% of them stating that they would be happy to work in these sectors if they had the necessary training and skills.
Similarly, over 87% of young people are interested in having policy dialogues and more than 84% believe that the sectors can make them rich and successful.
These are part of the findings of a nationwide research launched in Accra. The research was commissioned as a part of the Ghana Grows Programme, which is a collaboration between Mastercard Foundation, the Springboard Road Show Foundation, and Lyme Haus aimed at helping to change negative mindsets about agriculture and ATVET and address the issue of employment amongst Ghana’s youth.
Speaking at the launch, Mrs. Comfort Ocran, Executive Director of the Springboard Road Show Foundation said, “Ghana Grows is a three-year programme comprising a series of multi-faceted interventions that seek to inspire young people aged between 15 and 35 years, especially young women, to explore opportunities and deliberately pursue decent and fulfilling careers in Agriculture, Agribusiness, Technical and Vocational sectors.”
As part of this program, Densu Associates was commissioned to conduct a survey to assess the Knowledge, Attitude and Perception (KAP) of young people across Ghana, particularly young women, youth and persons with disabilities, to provide evidence of their understanding, perceptions, and attitudes towards Agriculture and ATVET.
The findings of the survey were discussed at a validation workshop with key stakeholders, including young people. The survey captured the views of over 1,100 randomly selected young people between 15- 35 years across all 16 regions of the country. The findings showed that 46% of the young people surveyed were unemployed, with 36% having a tertiary degree.
The young people’s knowledge of the Agriculture and ATVET sector was commendable, with over 80% of them knowing that the professions in the sector go beyond farming to include economists, scientists, and engineers. However, only 40% had knowledge of programs and opportunities being offered for youth, 33% knew about programs for women, and 24% knew about programs for persons with disabilities. The Ghana Grows Programme plans to deepen the clarity behind the data to help shape the thoughts of young people and engage with policy makers and duty bearers.
“It is, therefore, necessary to capitalize on the positive attitude of young people towards the sector, improve their perception of it, and create an enabling environment and clear pathways for them to participate in the Agriculture and ATVET sectors,” organizers noted.
Ghana Grows is rolling out a comprehensive set of programmes nationwide in all 16 regions of Ghana and provide for young people in both the formal and informal sectors and young people with disabilities. The Programme interventions include media learning broadcasts, career guidance and counseling, networking and mentoring clubs, policy training and engagement, work readiness, and soft skills training, as well as job placement opportunities.