What is TVET Coalition in Sierra Leone?
Skills development is formulated as one of the key priorities of the Government of Sierra Leone in its Medium-Term National Development Plan 2019-2023: Education for Development. Recent research papers including the Skills Needs Assessment by the TVET Coalition of Sierra Leone and the Diagnostic Study of TVET Sector in Sierra Leone by GIZ with funding by the European Union (EU) continues to highlight the urgency of this priority, as the skills needed by employers are not available in the country and locals were not able to secure formal employment in the industry to the desired extent. This priority is, among others, reflected in the work of the Sierra Leone Local Content Agency (SLLCA) and the establishment of the new Ministry of Technical and Higher Education (MTHE) in 2018. MTHE has recently revised the National Technical Vocational Education and Training Policy. The provisions of the draft bill in relation to the “Employment and Training of Sierra Leoneans” place a number of employment and training obligations on companies operating in the country, which the government believes will lessen the gap between private sector’s demand for skills and the skills that the Sierra Leone TVET system supplies. Therewith reducing poverty and underemployment.
The TVET Coalition is formed by Governmental Institutions, Bi- and Multilateral Development Agencies, Private Sector, Donors, Training Institutions and (I)NGOs (see below). All are directly or indirectly involved with the TVET sector and skills development for youths in Sierra Leone or having an umbrella function with respect to the Sierra Leone technical workforce development.
The aims and objectives of the TVET Coalition are set out as follows:
- Support the TVET system of Sierra Leone in delivering its mandate with the overarching objective of improving the employability of TVET graduates in Sierra Leone.
- Partner with TVET actors in Sierra Leone to create an environment that promotes the development of TVET in Sierra Leone and positions the country as an attractive investment destination using skills development.
The TVET Coalition of Sierra Leone aims to act as a support group to the Ministry of Technical and Higher Education and other governmental institutions in planning and implementing their plans towards improving the quality of TVET in the country and increasing the number of highly skilled and employable young people.
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