By Tokpa Tarnue- tarnue82@gmail.com
VOINJAMA, Liberia- A series of forums fora has begun in Lofa County to mobilize youths and beef up awareness about the need for Technical and Vocational Education and making it gender inclusive.
Here in this northwestern city, the Progressive Youth for Community Safety Initiative (PYCOSI) has begun series of interactive forums with community stakeholders, local authorities and youth groups in Voinjama Lofa County.
The community mobilization and awareness are intended to increase the demand of TVET and learning on gender inclusion in Lofa county is part of a project titled “Youth Raising” with the aim of creating massive awareness, mobilization and sensitizes youth (boys/girls) young adult, women, men and persons with disability about the existing of the TVET program at the Voinjama Multilateral High School the (VMHS).
“This will allow our less fortunate brothers and sisters acquire basic skills that will better their lives” Koryon emphasized.
He said the project seeks to engage relevant stakeholders for the project acquaintance or awareness and strategize the safeguarding initiatives of the infrastructure under renovation by UNIDO-Liberia.
“This project like others at the various Multilateral High Schools across the Country when completed, will see the Voinjama Multilateral High School obtaining its pre-war status,” he noted.
The ongoing project according to a UNIDO released seeks to contribute to a robust and inclusive TVET system that response to the economic needs and which increase the employability of Liberia’s youth.
The project supports government of Liberia’s goal of extending TVET assess to remote areas and will build on, and strengthen Liberia’s existing vocational training system.
To contribute to the overall objective and achieve its outcome, the intervention will upgrade and improve the learning environment and the teaching quality at the VMHS located in Lofa County, Liberia.
More specifically, the project will work on (1) improving capacity of teachers through participation in formal teacher training for vocational education, (2) strengthening Human capital to correspond to economic needs and (3) increasing participation and engagement with TVET sector at the school level.
Delivering quality teacher training and retaining qualified teachers is key to sustaining the gains of the TVET sector on a national scale.
The project will contribute to the establishment of a national TVET sector on a TVET Center for Professional Training, Development, Research and Innovation (TCPTRI) at the Booker Washington Institute (BWI).
The Voinjama Multilateral High School before the Liberian Civil War had several Vocational disciplines like electricity, carpentry and pluming, among other courses.
The renovation works have since been heavily welcomed by citizens of the county with a special commendation to the Liberian government and UNIDO-Liberia for the undertaking.