Design and Technology Institute graduates 328 learners as demand for TVET surges in Ghana

The Design and Technology Institute (DTI), Ghana’s foremost private TVET institution, has graduated 328 students at its sixth graduation ceremony in Accra, reinforcing its commitment to training technically skilled and character-driven graduates.

Held under the theme “Character by Design: Building Tomorrow with Purpose,” the ceremony underscored the institute’s philosophy of pairing technical competence with the values and behaviours required for a changing workplace.

Founder and President Constance Elizabeth Swaniker stressed that DTI’s mandate extends beyond skills acquisition to shaping attitudes that fuel long-term success. She noted that while technical skills may open opportunities, character, adaptability, and soft skills ultimately determine career growth.

Ms Swaniker pointed to DTI’s holistic training model,which includes the Challenge Programme, creative arts, and structured co-curricular activities, as key to building resilience, emotional intelligence, teamwork, and leadership capabilities. These attributes, she said, have become “the new currency of the workplace.”

The graduating cohort represents all 16 regions, with women constituting 55 per cent of the class across three main programmes: Precision Welding and Fabrication, Design Innovation, and Entrepreneurship.

Learners achieved a 92 per cent pass rate, and more than 70 per cent secured internships or employment through the institute’s Workplace Experience Learning programme, supported by 105 industry partners.

Despite growing interest,over 4,000 applications were received this year, and DTI admitted only 425 learners due to infrastructural constraints. Ms Swaniker called for greater investment in technical education, referencing the World Bank‘s 2025 Policy Notes on human capital development, which emphasise TVET as central to addressing youth unemployment.

As part of an expansion push, DTI, in collaboration with the Mastercard Foundation, has rolled out the Precision Quality Internship Programme, aimed at supporting 6,000 NEET youth nationwide.

The second cohort begins in January 2026 across four centres: Accra, Ho, Kumasi, and Tamale.

Keynote speaker William Senyo, Co-Founder and CEO of Impact Hub Accra, encouraged graduates to embrace innovation and entrepreneurship as catalysts for Africa‘s transformation.

DTI has also commissioned a state-of-the-art Welding Training and Testing Centre, positioning Ghana as a regional hub for internationally recognised welding and fabrication training.

The facility includes a 40-bay workshop, digital welding simulators, and a metallurgical testing laboratory.

Since opening in 2019, DTI has maintained a 70 per cent employability rate, verified by IFC assessments, and continues to work with bodies such as CTVET, NDPC, and the Ghana Standards Authority to influence national TVET standards and policy.