RIVER GEE COUNTY —The Deputy Minister for Budget and Development Planning at the Ministry of Finance and Development Planning, Tanneh G. Brunson, has hailed the inaugural graduates of River Gee Technical College to see themselves as “problem-solvers, role models and contributors to national growth.”
The event celebrated 203 pioneers—the first cohort to complete the college’s market-driven technical education program – signaling the birth of a new workforce armed with practical skills to drive Liberia’s development.
“Today is not just a ceremony,” Deputy Minister Brunson reflected. “It is a milestone event that marks the successful completion of a journey defined by commitment, discipline and the courage to seize it.’’
“Your training has been market-driven and is nationally relevant,” Deputy Minister Brunson told the graduates. “You therefore, are not just job seekers—you are solution providers.”
“You are now equipped not only with knowledge, but with skills and the ability to do, to build, to fix, to create and to solve,” she stated.
Addressing the graduates at the ceremony, she urged them to view their certificates as a “license to begin, not a final destination.”
She acknowledged their deliberate choice to pursue technical and vocational training in an era when many follow purely academic pathways.
“We live in a time of rapid changes, especially in this era of technology,” she said. “You have made strategic decisions to acquire practical, marketable, and industry-relevant skills—and gained valuable experience along the way.”
Deputy Minister Brunson emphasized that competence builds confidence, and confidence builds credibility—qualities that are increasingly essential as young people face evolving global challenges including climate change, health epidemics, cybersecurity and sustainable development. She noted that cross-functional skills like teamwork, critical thinking, and flexibility are now also indispensable.
While academic skills remain paramount, she added, alone they are no longer sufficient. From artificial intelligence to cryptocurrency and the evolving digital economy bring both opportunities and disruptions, as a result of—job automation, market volatility and privacy violations.
“Each of you must be prepared to tackle these new world issues,” she intoned.
The Deputy Minister closed with a charge to the graduates: “Go out there and be bold and courageous. And when you get there, remember to — pull someone else up behind you because the fruits of life are sweeter when shared.”
The ceremony was graced by Senator Francis S. Dopoh II, River Gee County President Jerry Bleh along with faculty, proud parents and national education leaders.
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