Liberia Launches First TVET Teacher Training Program
… With support from the EU and Sweden
(Original story published by Liberia Observer Online )
The Ministries of Youth and Sports and Education, have for the first time launched a Technical and Vocational Education and Training (TVET) teacher program at the newly established TVET Center for Professional Training, Research, and Innovation.
The first cohort of the program will benefit 29 in-service and pre-service TVET teachers who have specialized in different technical skills and are assigned to different TVET institutions in Liberia.
The training program is a six-month intensive training that will be delivered through in-person and online sessions. The program will focus on developing the pedagogy skills of TVET teachers, using the standardized curriculum as per the New Liberian National TVET Qualifications Framework (LNTQF).
Earlier this year, through the Youth Rising project, the European Union and the Government of Sweden sponsored ten TVET teacher trainers to participate in a pedagogy training program by the Hame University of Applied Science, Finland.
The training consisted of eight weeks of intensive face-to-face training in Finland, followed by online training sessions. As part of their training, these TVET teacher trainers will now provide pedagogy training to in-service and pre-service teachers at the TVET Center for Professional Training, Research, and Innovation.
In 2018, the Government of Liberia received funding from the European Union and the Government of Sweden through the “Youth Rising” and “Promoting Youth Employment” projects with the aim of strengthening the Liberian TVET sector’s capacity to deliver equitable and gender-balanced access to high-quality and demand-driven TVET for young Liberians.
Establishing the TVET Center for Professional Training, Research & Innovation (TCPTRI) as a facility for training TVET teachers in Liberia is one key output of the European Union and Government of Sweden-funded projects.
The center was established as one of the operational units of the Booker Washington Institute (BWI) and is designed to serve as a national hub addressing many of the prevailing weaknesses associated with TVET human resource-related capabilities in Liberia.
The center’s mission is to stimulate and promote the sustainable development, stability, adaptability, and resilience of Liberia’s national TVET system within the context of a globalized and ever-changing trading environment, as well as the actualization of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) for human development.
During the event, the Principal and CEO of the Booker Washington Institute, Atty. Dr. Harris F. Tarnue, expressed gratitude to the government of Liberia and its development partners, the European Union and the Government of Sweden, for their continuous support to the TVET sector in Liberia.
Tarnue noted that stated that his institution was happy to host Liberia’s first and only TVET teacher training center.
He mentioned that this achievement would not have been possible without the vision and roadmap set by the Government of Liberia through the PAPD, which has keenly outlined Technical and Vocational Education.
Tarnue added that the center, which was built in 1976 by the government of Liberia and was destroyed during the war, has now been transformed into a state-of-the-art facility to deliver quality technical training in Liberia.
He remarked, “Many of you who saw this building some time ago won’t believe that this is the same building today. It has been so much transformed that no one will believe that this state-of-the-art training center is in Liberia.”
Rogers Ndege, CTA/Project Manager of the Youth Rising project, thanked the government of Liberia and its development partners, the European Union and the Government of Sweden, for their support and the transformation of the TVET sector in Liberia.
He expressed hope that the center would become a professional certification center for TVET teachers in Liberia.
Jyrki Torni, the European Union representative and the Head of the Political and Economic Governance section, encouraged teachers to remain in the TVET sector and contribute to the development of the country by imparting technical skills to young Liberians.
Torni noted that the EU/Team Europe had contributed approximately 90 million United States dollars to TVET in Liberia over the years and is looking forward to investing more in the development of Liberia.
On the part of the Ministry of Youth and Sports, Assistant Minister for TVET and Chairman of the PSC of the project, Millias Z. Sheriff, joined others in thanking the development partners, the European Union in Liberia and the Government of Sweden, and all others investing in the TVET sector of Liberia.
He disclosed the government’s plan to spread TVET across the 15-sub political divisions of Liberia through the new European Union funding.
Millias described the TVET teacher training program as a dream come true for the government.
He noted that this is the first time that TVET teachers are being trained in Liberia and in a modern, state-of-the-art center.
Additionally, the Assistant for TVET at the Ministry of Education, Suku Dukuly, joined his government colleague in encouraging TVET teachers to shape the future of young Liberians.
Domonic Kwame, Assistant Minister for Planning, Research, and Development at the Ministry of Education, thanked teachers for their level of seriousness and dedication in acquiring skills and commencing their pedagogy training.
Kwame stressed the need for young people to acquire skills in Liberia, noting that TVET is the key that will drive the economy of Liberia and empower young Liberians to become eminent citizens.
The TVET Center for Professional Training, Research, and Innovation is funded by the European Union and Sweden.
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Read original story at:
https://www.liberianobserver.com/liberia-liberia-launches-first-tvet-teacher-training-program
