The Youth Employment Agency (YEA) was established under the Youth Employment Act 2015 (Act 8870 to empower young people to contribute meaningfully to the socio-economic and sustainable development of the nation. To ensure sustainability, the policy focus of YEA was shifted in 2017 from the traditional modules which had been recycling unemployment to the self-employment modules such as Trades and Vocation, job placement, agriculture modules through public private partnership. New modules have since been introduced and some of the existing modules such as The Youth in Security Services and Trades and Vocation were reviewed and scaled up to meet the growing demand for youth employment in the country. All administrative and operational processes of the Agency, comply with statutory, Public Service procedures and the Agency’s establishment laws. The Agency has focused on the development of best practices in all its operations and activities whilst adhering to the standards of International Labour Organisation on Decent Work.

The legislative instrument that governs the operations of the Youth Employment Agency is Youth Employment Agency Regulations 2016, L.I. 2231 which was passed in 2016.

Vision

It is the Agency’s vision to become an outstanding Public Sector Agency facilitating and creating sustainable employment opportunities for the youth nationwide.

Mission

The Agency’s mission is to lead the coordination of employment opportunities and creation of jobs for the youth in Ghana.

Core Values

• Youth oriented – We have the interest of the youth/beneficiaries at heart.
• Team work – We help each other achieve more.
• Change Makers – We all make change happen.
• Pride – We are proud to make a difference.
• Honesty – We uphold honesty and integrity in all our operations.

Functions

For the purpose of achieving its objectives, the Agency performs the following functions:

• Set standards and procedures for the employment and career development of the youth in the country;
• Train and provide the youth with the requisite skills for the labour market;
• Facilitate and monitor the employment of the youth in the country;
• Develop guidelines for the implementation of an integrated and innovative national youth employment programme;
• Serve as a one stop shop for the employment of the youth and entrepreneurial development of the youth taking into consideration gender and persons with disability;
• Assess the operations of youth employment programmes and make recommendations for improvement;
• Plan and coordinate technical assistance in the field of youth employment;
• Develop, promote and support training activities of the youth to prepare them for employment;
• Facilitate the employment of youth in the public and private sectors of the economy;
• Undertake continuing study of the youth employment needs in the country;