Stepping Up Skills in Urban Ghana : Snapshot of the STEP Skills Measurement Survey

The Skills Toward Employment and Productivity (STEP) Survey is an initiative of the World Bank in cooperation with other development partners and nongovernmental agencies and carried out in more than 14 countries globally. In Ghana, the first phase of the survey focusing on adults in urban communities was carried out in cooperation with the University of Ghana’s Institute of Statistical, Social, and Economic Research (ISSER), the Ministry of Education, the Council for Technical and Vocational Education and Training (COTVET), and the Ghana Statistical Service (GSS). Front Cover -- Contents -- Foreword -- Acknowledgments -- Overview -- Abbreviations -- Chapter 1 Country Context -- Economic, Social, and Demographic Trends -- Education and Skills -- Persistent Challenges in Education -- Notes -- References -- Chapter 2 Conceptual Framework: Why Is It Important to Focus on Skills? -- Introduction -- Which Skills Are Relevant? -- How Are Cognitive, Behavioral, and Technical Skills Formed? -- Understanding the Focus on Adults and Urban Areas -- Notes -- References -- Chapter 3 Skills Toward Employment and Productivity Data -- Introduction -- Data and Sample Characteristics -- Types of Skills Measured -- Methodology -- Note -- References -- Chapter 4 Education Issues in Ghana -- Foundational Skills: Early Childhood Education -- Socioeconomic Disparities -- Constraints for Education: Late Entry, Completion Delay, and Dropouts -- The Gender Gap in Education -- Reference -- Chapter 5 Labor Market Participation -- Introduction -- Wage Employment, Self-Employment, and Formality -- Occupation Type -- Economic Sector of Occupation -- Gender Disparities -- Notes -- Reference -- Chapter 6 The Use of Cognitive Skills, Job-Specific Skills, and Literacy -- Introduction -- The Use of Cognitive Skills: Overall Use and Intensity of Use -- Job-Relevant (or Task-Related) Skills -- Socioemotional Skills -- Reading Literacy Assessment -- Developing Skills beyond Education: Training and Apprenticeships -- Notes -- References -- Chapter 7 The Returns to Education and Skills: Building the Job-Relevant Skills That Employers Demand -- Introduction -- Returns to Education and Skills -- Returns to Education: Is There a Gender Premium? -- Notes -- References -- Chapter 8 Mismatch of Skills: A Measurement Issue and Unexploited Potential at Work -- Mismatch between Self-Reported Skills and Core Literacy Test Results: Does Language Matter? "The Skills Toward Employment and Productivity (STEP) Survey is an initiative of the World Bank in cooperation with other development partners and nongovernmental agencies and carried out in more than 14 countries globally. In Ghana, the first phase of the survey focusing on adults in urban communities was carried out in cooperation with the University of Ghana's Institute of Statistical, Social, and Economic Research, the Ministry of Education, the Council for Technical and Vocational Education and Training, and the Ghana Statistical Service. Stepping Up Skills in Urban Ghana provides detailed insights from the survey for policy makers. These insights cover areas including investments in early childhood education, the role of improvements in the quality of education, and the creation of incentives for economic actors to invest in on-the-job training to improve Ghana's competitiveness and the well-being of its citizens." -- Back cover The Skills Toward Employment and Productivity (STEP) Survey is an initiative carried out in over 14 countries globally. Ghana has made progress in expanding access to basic education, having achieved near universal access to primary education, however challenges persist with improving the quality of basic education to enhance learning outcomes.