Top Up Funding II: The Longer-run Effects of Apprenticeships in Ghana

Youth unemployment and underemployment are major social and economic problems in Ghana, where a lack of skill may be a major impediment to transitioning from school to the workforce. The new National Apprenticeship Programme (NAP) in Ghana is a centerpiece of the national strategy aimed at promoting youth skills and employment and is coordinated by the Council for Technical and Vocational Education and Training (COTVET). This program provides youth who were unable to progress to Senior High School due to poor examination performance or lack of tuition funds an alternative path to obtain marketable skills through apprenticeships. The government-run program reaches all regions of the country, and sponsors youth who are no longer able to continue on the mainstream academic path to receive year-long apprenticeships in a service or local construction trade, such as masonry or tailoring. The NAP introduced innovative features, including shortening the training period to one year, targeting the program to students who fail to progress beyond tenth grade, and a competency-based certification at the end of the program. The program (and evaluation) was launched in mid-2012 and is expected to continue through 2017. In 2012, the NAP was implemented in approximately 100 districts across all 10 regions with 8,000 total apprentices and over 1,600 master trainers. The number of placements available in each district is determined nationally by COTVET. Candidates for the program apply directly to the district education office in which they reside. Candidates who correctly complete the application form and provide the supporting documentation as required by the program (e.g. letter from Parent), will be interviewed and ranked by the district education committee. In the long run follow-up, we plan to conduct follow-up surveys with the entire sample of youth who applied to the NAP in 2012. The long-run survey will collect information on earnings and employment.