This historical study examined the formation and development of vocationalization in upper secondary schools in Ghana (1900 until 1991), examining key documents including the G. Power Education Committee report, the Accelerated Development Plan, and education reports from 1973 to 1991. The analysis reveals four phases of Ghana’s vocationalization, with its initial conceptualization dating back to 1942 and full implementation achieved in 1991. The study refutes previous assertions that Ghana’s vocationalization was imposed by external force and argues that Ghanaians internally institutionalized vocationalization to democratize access to secondary education for TVE-inclined students as this was deemed crucial for the country’s growth.

This paper clarifies the process of change from TVE (Technical and Vocational Education) to TVET (Technical and Vocational Education and Training) and what this change means to UNESCO and the technical and vocational education as well as global standards of vocational training. UNESCO firstly launched TVE by adopting the “Recommendation concerning Technical and Vocational Education” in 1962. After their long-term discussion, UNESCO eventually launched TVET by adopting the “Recommendation concerning Technical and Vocational Education and Training” in 2015. Until now, UNESCO has positioned TVET as a new global framework of technical and vocational education and training.

As Galguera (2018) and Hughes (2009) pointed out, UNESCO’s requirements for TVET and its role in EFA: Education for All were revealed. However, it remained an assignment to clarify the process of change from TVE to TVET and its significance. Therefore, this paper analyzes this change, with a particular focus on the collaboration between UNESCO and ILO. To reveal the collaboration process and advocacy for educational and vocational issues worldwide, various materials were examined, including the original texts of conventions and recommendations from UNESCO, conference reports, and memorandums with ILO.

From this analysis, the following three significant points can be concluded. First, UNESCO aimed to focus on a greater extent on the vocational and labor field, and improve the quality of life for all by developing professional qualifications and generic skills. Through adopting TVET, UNESCO additionally developed their educational philosophy as seen in the Convention on Technical and Vocational Education (1989). Second, UNESCO established TVET as a strategic framework in the context of educational policy to promote more pragmatic and closer cooperation with the ILO. Third, whereas TVE had been incorporated at every educational stage, UNESCO limited TVET to secondary, post-secondary, and tertiary education.