Empowering Female Talents in Construction

Working with public and private sector companies to empower female graduates in construction

Aimed at bridging the skills gap and gender disparity in the construction sector, the ‘Female Talents in Construction’ project seeks to equip 250 graduates, with a focus on women, and place at least 150 of them in good jobs.

Despite the growing demand for construction work and skilled construction workers globally, women in this sector remain under-represented. For example, in Ghana, women account for only 3 per cent of construction workers employed in the sector.

Additionally, the sector is confronted with a general skills gap problem, mainly attributed to the loophole between industry and academia. This impedes the chances of young graduates to access employment, as they are often challenged with efficiency and reliability in delivery due to a lack of sufficient practical skills and the constantly changing technology landscape, among others.

To address these challenges, Invest for Jobs in collaboration with the Ghana TVET (Technical and Vocational Education and Training) Service and a host of private sector companies launched the Female Talents in Construction (FTC) project on 24th April 2024. The FTC project is an initiative designed to equip young graduates, particularly females, with industry-required skills for employment in the construction sector. The project provides a three-months intensive training programme, including internship opportunities with partner construction companies.

Speaking at the launch event, Mr John Duti, Team Leader of Invest for Jobs at the Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ) GmbH in Ghana, stressed that the training programme seeks to deepen the hands-on experience of young graduates. The training content comprises technical skills upgrade training, occupational health and safety training, business development skills training, and other soft skills training. Successful graduates will receive a license under the Ghana Institution of Engineering and an official TVET certification approved by the Delegation of German Industry and Commerce in Ghana (AHK). This will enable the project beneficiaries to gain access to a wider job market, both in Ghana and abroad, he added.

According to Mr Duti, the FTC project not only marks a significant step towards addressing the sector’s skills gap but also promotes an inclusive society in which women have equal opportunities to improve their economic lives.

On her part, Engr. Juliana Nkrumah, Director of the Ghana TVET Service in Greater Accra Region, affirmed the government's support for this cause, highlighting that skills development and related employability have become integral parts of Ghana’s industrial transformation agenda.

In conclusion, Ms Nkrumah lauded the efforts of the FTC project partners, the private sector companies (Inzag GmbH, Furnart, Adom City Group, Akosua Investment, and Pheonix Properties) and the state institutions (National Service Secretariat and the Ghana Institution of Engineering, among others), for making FTC possible.