A Research On The Skill Mismatch Between TVET And The Labour Market In Ghana

The purpose of this study was to explore the mismatch between TVET graduates’ skills,and the Labour market skill needs in Ghana.The phenomenon of skill mismatch has been studied extensively in developed countries mainly due to the negative impact it has on the individual employee,the company,and the country at large.However,very little is known about the phenomenon in developing countries including Ghana despite its detrimental effects on human capital productivity.The recent Education Strategic Plan(ESP 2018-2030)asserts that there’s a mismatch between the skills supplied in TVET institutions and the demand for skills in the Ghanaian Labour market.The study utilized Katz’s three skill theory,the human capital theory,and the technological change theory to inform the research questions,and as the blueprint for the overall study.The study used an interpretative phenomenological analysis(IPA)approach to qualitative research design.Fifteen TVET employees from three distinct companies and three HR managers from these companies were selected using the purposeful sampling method with data analyzed by Moustakas’ s transcendental approach to answer the research questions.Data was collected using semi-structured interview questions and analyzed using MAXQDA 2020 software for qualitative data analysis.The findings and the discussions are presented in two sections.The first section explores participants’ lived experiences of skill mismatch from TVET employees’ perspectives,and the second section explores HR managers’ perception of TVET employees’ skill gaps and skill shortages.The findings are based on five key themes(a)understanding skill mismatch among TVET graduates,(b)manifestations of the mismatch among TVET graduates according to Katz’s three skill theory,(c)skill mismatch impacts on TVET graduates,(d)understanding skill mismatch from HR managers’ perspectives,(e)skill mismatch impacts on companies.The findings regarding participants’ vertical mismatch revealed that in terms of overeducation and undereducation,thirteen of the fifteen participants were neither overeducated nor undereducated but rather well-matched with their jobs,and only two participants were overeducated.However,in terms of being Overskilled or Underskilled,all fifteen participants were found to be Underskilled due to the impact of the radical technological inventions and innovations associated with their jobs.The results support previous literature that has found TVET graduates who possess STEM occupation-specific skills are more likely to be employed in a job that meets the level of education and training without being mismatched.The finding regarding participants’ horizontal mismatch revealed that twelfth out of the fifteen participants had a field of study that corresponds with the job that they were doing.The remaining three participants had a field of study which does not correspond with their job.The results are consistent with earlier research that found TVET graduates with job specific skills are more likely to transition from school to work without being horizontally mismatched.Findings on how the mismatch manifests according to Katz’s three-skill theory revealed that participants were deficient in all three types of skills technical,human,and conceptual skills respectively.The major findings of this study revealed that skill mismatches have both immediate and longterm impacts on employees.The immediate impacts are job repetition,prolonged time spent on a job,low quality of work,and emotional distress.The long-term impacts are low productivity,job dissatisfaction,lack of reward or promotion,skill depreciation,and lack of career progression.The major findings on HR managers’ perception of employees’ skill gaps revealed that employers perceive TVET graduates to lack certain cognitive and non-cognitive skills such as communication skills,computer literacy skills,and attitudinal skills such as work punctuality.The findings also revealed skill mismatches affect the company’s brand image,causes work delays,the additional cost of training and development,and low productivity.Based on the results of this study,there’s a need for a strong collaboration between the government,TVET institution curriculum planners,and potential employers to ensure the general purpose of education and the skill needs of the Labour market are both captured in TVET programs to further enhance TVET graduates’ employability in the Labour market.The theoretical,practical,and policy implications for the study have been further discussed in chapter six.