Classroom-based technical training
Structured, instructor-led training across 14 trades. Three to twenty-four months at one of our centres, ending with a nationally recognised certificate and a job-placement plan.
- Daily timetable: theory + supervised workshop practice
- Cohort-based: you train with a group on the same schedule
- Trade fundamentals + safety + materials + business modules
- End-of-programme NVTI / City & Guilds assessment
- Wrap-around: life skills, counselling, placement, follow-up
OICG's formal model is the traditional vocational school experience, rebuilt for young Ghanaians who have been out of work or out of school. Trainees enrol at one of our centres in Accra, Kumasi, Sekondi-Takoradi or Tamale and follow a fixed curriculum on a daily timetable — theory in the morning, practical work in the workshop in the afternoon.
The classroom side covers the trade fundamentals: measurement and reading, basic maths, safety, materials, tools, and the science behind what each trade does. The workshop side is where the skill is built — supervised practice on real jobs under instructors who are themselves master craftspersons in the trade.
Every formal track is wrapped with the same support package: business and entrepreneurship modules so graduates can run their own enterprises, life-skills and counselling sessions, follow-up after graduation, and direct introductions to OICG's network of employer partners. Roughly 80% of formal graduates are placed in employment or self-employment within six months of completion.
Trades currently offered through the formal model include welding and fabrication, electrical installation, plumbing, dressmaking, hairdressing and beauty, bakery and cookery, masonry, tiling, refrigeration and air-conditioning, mobile-phone repair, ICT, automotive mechanics, carpentry and joinery, and event decoration.
7 trades delivered through formal training.
Ready to enrol?
Get in touch and our intake team will walk you through the next step — eligibility check, screening, and orientation.
Apply to a formal programmeWho can apply
Open to Ghanaian youth aged 17–35 who can commit to a full training schedule. Basic literacy and numeracy expected; for some trades (electrical, plumbing, ICT) JHS or higher is preferred. We give priority to school leavers, unemployed youth, and applicants from disadvantaged backgrounds. Women are actively encouraged to apply across all trades — including those traditionally male-dominated.
Application process
1. Visit (or call) your nearest OICG centre — Accra, Kumasi, Sekondi-Takoradi or Tamale. 2. Pick up an application form and meet briefly with the intake counsellor. We will talk through which trade fits your goals and current situation. 3. Sit a short screening test (numeracy + a trade-relevant aptitude check). Most applicants pass on the first attempt. 4. Attend orientation week to confirm your trade choice, meet your instructor, and pay the subsidised programme fee. Bursaries are available for applicants who can demonstrate need. 5. Begin training. New cohorts intake several times per year — contact your centre for the next start date.