CTVET — the Commission for Technical and Vocational Education and Training — oversees Ghana's technical institutes, where students learn a trade alongside a set of core academic subjects. If you're a student choosing between a senior high school and a technical institute, or a parent trying to make sense of the system, here's what actually happens on the ground.
The core subjects every CTVET student takes
Whatever trade a student picks, seven subjects are non-negotiable and sit on every timetable:
- English Language
- Mathematics
- Social Studies
- Integrated Science
- ICT
- Entrepreneurship
- Technical Drawing
These are taught and assessed the same way regardless of trade, because they're the general-education foundation the technical qualification sits on top of.
Choosing a trade elective
On top of the core seven, a student picks one trade to specialise in. CTVET institutes between them offer dozens of trade options — from Building Construction, Electrical Engineering and Automotive Engineering to Fashion Design, Catering, Welding and Wood Technology. Each trade has its own unit specification: a syllabus that mixes theory with the practical competencies a student has to demonstrate.
How CTVET differs from a WASSCE academic track
A student on the WASSCE academic track studies Mathematics and English as the only compulsory subjects, then chooses electives freely from arts, science or business options. CTVET flips that ratio: the core load is heavier (seven fixed subjects) and the elective is a single trade studied in real depth, with competency-based, practical assessment built in alongside written exams. It's a different kind of rigour, not a lighter one.
Studying for CTVET without relying on a fast connection
Technical institutes are often in areas where a stable data connection isn't a given, which makes online-only study tools a poor fit. G3N's AI tutor runs fully on-device once installed — lessons, quizzes and revision summaries for the seven core subjects and the trade electives, with no data bundle needed to keep studying between classes.