Liberia : The Head of Delegation of the European Union to Liberia, Ambassador Helene Cave, says Technical Vocational Education and Training (TVET) is a key contributor to economic growth of Liberia.
Speaking Thursday, May 3, 2018, during the official signing ceremony of Euro24million for the support of TVET and Civil Society Organizations (CSOs) Support Measures Financing Agreements, Ambassador Cave said the two financing agreement will expand the EU’s partnership with Liberia in the areas of education, specifically TVET and support for CSOs.
She is hopeful that the programs, which have a total value of 24 million Euro (US$29million dollars), will make significant contributions to the government’s pro-poor agenda.
Ambassador Cave said it has been established that over half of Liberia’s is youthful; something she noted is great for the development of the country.She, however, observed that the young people are exposed to high level of unemployment, underemployment and vulnerable employment rates.
Ambassador Cave said, due to the fact the government recognizes that increased access to relevant high quality TVET is key to changing the situation, significant investment is needed to make this a reality.
She said the program will support the Government to modernize TVET, promote training in strategic sectors of the economy, foster an entrepreneurship culture and equip youth with skills that actually match labor market demand and respond to new economic growth opportunities.
According to her, the program will be implemented by the United Nations Industrial Development Organization (UNIDO) and would amount to Euro 20million over the next six years.
Also speaking, the Minister of Finance and Development Planning, Samuel Tweh, thanked the EU for the support and promised government’s full implementation of the project over the next six years.
According to him, the EU remains a strong partner to Liberia’s development. Minister Tweh challenged the Ministry of Education and the CSOs to adequately implement the projects in order to get fruitful results.
According to him, there is no greater threat to national security than the lack of quality of education the people receive especially skill education for the job market.
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