180 Liberians Graduate from YCWL, TVET Program

MONROVIA – The young Liberians got certificate of completion in Tailoring, carpentry, Cosmetology, soap making as well as tie and dye from three of Liberia’s fifteen counties. 

The Youth Crime Watch TVET programs was rolled out in six communities in three counties namely Kakata City, Unification Town and Dolo Town of Margibi County while Bong County targeted Gbarnga and Sanoyea, and Charlesville in Montserrado County respectively. 

The six months program under the ‘Let us learn TVET Project’ with support from UNICEF is aimed at enhancing the skills of Liberian youths through employable skills to take on the job market.

Serving as keynote speaker at the graduation program in Katata city, Margibi County, Margibi County Civil Society Chairperson, Friday Cruisor called on the graduates to utilize the knowledge they have acquired to make a difference in the Liberian society.

Cruisor, who stressed the importance of Technical Vocational education in the lives of young people, encouraged Youth Crime Watch  and partners to continue to prioritize TVET programs.

Also speaking, the Supervisor of Youth Crime Watch Center, Solomon Queh said the program with support from UNICEF is meant to help built the capacities young Liberians especially females.

According to him, the initiative is also empowering females against vices of sexual abuse and domestic violence. 

Queh pointed out that the empowerment of young girls through TVET programs is the surest means of making them self-reliant and a means of protecting them for sustainable future.

Also speaking at one of the graduation sites in Margibi County, a young Liberian entrepreneur Foday Zinneh called on young Liberians to focus on their technical skills acquired if they are to compete with their male counterparts.

Zinneh who termed as timely the initiative undertaken by Youth Crime Watch and its supporting partner UNICEF noted that politics has taken over the nation thus creating a setback for those with technical skills.

“Politics has taken over and is greatly affecting the private sector terming it as dangerous for the development of Liberia,” he added.

According to the Liberian entrepreneur, many professional Liberians who are to improve the private sector have forcibly become politicians because politics is the fastest way of earning in Liberia.

 For his part, Youth Crime Watch Center Supervisor, Zisi Ford said 30 students were successful from the Carpentry and Cosmetology departments’ despites the many challenges in ensuring that they acquired the technical skills.

According to Ford, the graduation at the Dolo Town area brings to 180 the total graduates from the six training centers in the three counties.

For their parts, Barbara Cooper of the Cosmetology department and Tenneh Turker a graduate from the carpentry department thanked Youth Crime Watch Liberia and its partner UNICEF for contributing to their lives.

The two graduates in separate remarks promised to effectively use the skills acquired to raise their current living status thus promising to serve as Ambassadors for Youth Crime Watch and Liberia at large.