Ghana Secondary Technical School, Takoradi, was founded on 9th August 1909 in Accra. Its maiden name was Accra Technical School. From its establishment till 1939 the school was housed in the buildings that were formally the offices of the Accountant-General. It was founded in response to the growing demand for technical education at the time and its purpose, therefore, was to train artisans to man the essential services of the Gold Coast - Transport and Communication, Public Works and Electrical Supply Commission. Other products of the school were urgently needed to train pupils in the senior or middle schools in woodwork.

Starting with 19 students, (which number had increased to 25 by the end of the first term), the school offered three (3) year courses in metalwork and woodwork to students who qualified as artisans. In line with the school's objectives of providing practical training in engineering and craftsmanship, students of the school, from 1912, began having practical training, first with the Railways and later with the Public Works Department. This was a kind of symbiotic relationship for while the school had the opportunity to back classroom theory work with workshop practical work the government departments benefited from the services of these students. In May 1912 the first batch of 28 candidates, made up of eighteen (18) metalwork and ten (10) woodwork candidates, were presented for examination. These were recruited into government departments - Public Works, Waterworks and Railways.

Right from its inception the school has lived with problems. The pioneers of the school had to be housed in the dormitories of the Government Teacher Training College for the school had no lodgings of its own. As a result of this lack of accommodation most of the students from Accra were non-resident. In 1911, however, two dormitories were put up. Yet another problem was the slow rate of growth of student population. It was really difficult getting boys enrolled into the school and when the Acting Governor of the Gold Coast, H. Bunyan, visited the school in the middle of' 1912, he was so disappointed at the smaller number of boys and the many vacancies that remained unfilled that he contemplated a reduction of the staff if the number of students did not rise appreciably. Evidently, the Director of Education and his staff gave earnest attention to the matter, for new students were soon added such that within a year of the governor's visit the number had reached 45.

The growing concern shown by the governor and the director of education and his outfit gave the school a new lease of life. But this was short-lived as the World War I came to disrupt the school's activities. The news of the declaration of war on Germany by the British Empire was received on the 5th of August,l914. Four days afterwards instructions were given for the evacuation of the buildings of both the Technical School and the Training College since they were required to house German prisoners caught in Togoland (which was a minor theatre of the war). Not only was the school down temporarily, but the staff were required for various services in connection with the war. Some of the students entered the Volunteer Service and two actually went on active service to East Africa.

In 1917, the first Principal of the school, Mr. H.A. Wright, retired handing over to Mr. Pickles. Then Mr. Pickles was replaced as Principal by Mr. M. McLaren in November 1919.

In 1921, the governor visited the school and noted that more dormitory accommodation was required, for, notwithstanding the fact that some of the boys were non-resident, there was still some amount of overcrowding. As a result new dormitories were provided towards the end of the year and all non-resident students went into residence. Then in 1922, work started on a bungalow for a housemaster. It was opened in 1923 and for the first time there was a resident housemaster.

1923 proved to be a year to remember for the end of the year saw the passing out of a total of 45 students made up of 36 woodwork students and 9 metalwork students from the school. That same year the Old Boys Association was formed. Evidently, the story of the school in the 1920s was one of overcrowding and consequently the need for more accommodation. Fortunately, the Training College was removed to Achimota College and its buildings were taken over for the extension of the Technical School. In spite of that the school experienced acute overcrowding again both in the dormitories and workshops. Definitely the school was growing rapidly.

By 1928 there were about 80 students on roll. At the end of 1936, the General Manager of the Gold Coast Railway visited the school and immediately suggested the opening of a Technical School in Takoradi. Takoradi struck home as the ideal spot which would answer two questions at the same time - provide a new site for an extended school and feed the growing industrial area of the Gold Coast. The idea was discussed with the Government who jumped at it and ordered that the scheme be pushed ahead as soon as possible. The school which by this time had got the name Government Technical School was going to transfer to Takoradi. The attention it was getting from the government was unique and it stemmed from the fact that it was a potential life-blood of the principal industrial concerns of the Gold Coast. Its products had started taking City and Guilds Examinations from 1933 signaling an upgrading of the courses taken there. A fourth-year was introduced before the planned transfer to Takoradi.