YAD Graduates Empowered with TVET Skills and Start-up Kits

YAD Graduates Empowered with TVET Skills and Start-up Kits

On January 23rd and 24th, 2024, the Youth Action for Development (YAD) successfully concluded its annual Technical and Vocational Education and Training (TVET) graduation ceremony, marking another significant milestone in its commitment to youth and women’s empowerment. Each year, YAD certifies a minimum of 60 underserved young people who have completed a rigorous 24-month professional training program. This year's cohort included 55 graduates: 6 males and 49 females. A key feature of this initiative is the provision of cost-free training and complimentary start-up packages to all graduates.

The event saw the participation of numerous key stakeholders, including representatives from the Kenema District Council, Kenema City Council, Ministry of Technical and Higher Education, Ministry of Labor, National Youth Commission, National TechVoc Council, the Interagency Forum, and a large number of supporters from various youth organizations.

Preceding the main ceremony, an Annual Youth Unification Match was held, featuring students from the Youth Resource Academy (YRA) and the Ready Salone project. The female team from the Youth Resource Academy secured a 1-0 victory, while the male team from Ready Salone triumphed with a score of 3-0.

In his keynote address, delivered before the distribution of certificates and start-up kits, Programme Director Othman Sheriff strongly encouraged the graduates to utilize their new resources effectively to establish independent artisan businesses. Mr. Sheriff noted that this year marked the fifth annual graduation since 2019, bringing the total number of start-up kits awarded across various professions to 257. He also announced that the 2025 edition would provide start-up assistance to 55 students (49 females and 6 males) completing training in fields such as beauty therapy/cosmetology, catering and hospitality management, tailoring/hairdressing, and secretarial and office management.

Mr. Sheriff appealed to stakeholders to bolster advocacy for free TVET education, arguing that such a commitment is essential for Sierra Leone to remain competitive with other African nations in developing a robust middle-level workforce. "The strength of economies like Germany, France, and the United Kingdom lies in their middle-level manpower," he asserted. "I firmly believe that Sierra Leone can achieve comparable success by dedicating more focus and resources to TVET education."

Various speakers, including Mr. Aloysius Dumbly from the Ministry of Technical and Higher Education and Santikie Kanu from Welthungerhilfe, commended the graduates and urged them to maximize their newly acquired skills and the valuable start-up kits provided by YAD, underscoring the privileged nature of this opportunity compared to the challenges faced by many other youths seeking similar support.

Certificates and start-up kits were formally presented by several distinguished guests. It is noteworthy that the Youth Resource Academy (YRA), established in 2019 as a TVET-focused initiative for youth and female empowerment, is officially recognized by the Ministry of Technical and Higher Education and accredited by the NCTVA as one of the nation's leading TVET institutions.