Accra, September 25, 2025 – The Design & Technology Institute (DTI), in collaboration with Accents & Art (A&A) and with support from the Mastercard Foundation, has marked a major milestone in Ghana’s workforce development journey. Through its flagship Precision Quality Internship (PQI) Programme, 1,800 young Ghanaians were trained in Year One, culminating in the inaugural cohort of 308 graduates—55% of whom are women—at a ceremony and exhibition held at Trinity Theological Seminary, Accra.
The PQI Programme is designed to tackle Ghana’s urgent NEET (Not in Employment, Education, or Training) challenge. With 1.9 million youth in this category and youth unemployment at nearly 33%, the programme provides a practical solution by equipping young people with both industry-relevant hard skills—such as precision welding and fabrication, CAD/CAM, auto spraying, electricals, hospitality, and fashion—and soft skills including problem-solving, teamwork, adaptability, and communication. This holistic approach transforms unemployed graduates into job-ready professionals and entrepreneurial job creators.
“Our nation is poised to lead within the African Continental Free Trade Area, but we cannot do it with an unskilled workforce. By investing our time and expertise, we are not just preparing these young people for employment; we are securing Ghana’s economic future,” said Ms. Bernice Gavor, General Manager of Accents & Art.
The PQI Programme directly aligns with the Government of Ghana’s TVET transformation agenda, ensuring graduates develop workplace-ready competencies that meet industry standards and contribute to national industrialisation. It also supports the Mastercard Foundation’s Young Africa Works strategy, which aims to enable millions of young Africans—particularly women—to access dignified and fulfilling work by prioritising employability, entrepreneurship, and inclusion.
Impact to date: Over 240 graduates have already secured employment across industries such as telecommunications, fashion and design, engineering, welding and fabrication, insurance, creative media, technology, hospitality, and interior design. Others are launching businesses with seed funding, startup kits, and incubation support, further strengthening Ghana’s entrepreneurship ecosystem.
“Our nation’s future depends on our ability to transform our youth from job seekers into creators and innovators. At DTI, we believe that providing practical, industry-relevant skills is the most direct path to a prosperous Ghana. This internship is more than training—it is about instilling confidence, fostering innovation, and proving that with the right skills, our young people can be the architects of a new, industrialised Africa,” said Ms. Constance Elizabeth Swaniker, Founder and President of DTI.
The PQ Internship is now being delivered across seven centres in Accra, Kumasi, Tamale, and Ho, with a yearly training and transition capacity of 2,000 young graduates—the operational foundation for achieving the programme’s goal to train and transition 6,000 NEET graduates over three years.
About the Precision Quality Internship (PQI) Programme
The PQI Programme is a national workforce development initiative by the Design & Technology Institute (DTI), delivered in collaboration with Accents & Art and supported by the Mastercard Foundation. It combines technical training, soft-skills development, and entrepreneurship support to transform unemployed and underemployed youth—including NEET graduates—into job-ready professionals and job creators. The programme is aligned with the Government of Ghana’s TVET strategy and contributes directly to the Mastercard Foundation’s Young Africa Works strategy to secure dignified and fulfilling work for young Africans.
