Ganta, Nimba County, May 13, 2026—Hundreds of school-going girls drawn from more than 10 academic institutions in Ganta were motivated on Tuesday, April 21, 2026, by a group of female artisans from the ArcelorMittal Liberia Training Academy (AMLTA), who urged them to consider technical and vocational careers as a practical path to employment and independence.
The encouragement came during a program marking the International Day of Women in Industry, organized by the United Nations Industrial Development Organization (UNIDO) under the theme, “Women Shaping the Future of Industry in Liberia.” Speaking on a panel, Christine Harvey (Fitter), Thomasline Fassama (Electrician), Lydia Y. Gartei (Mechanic), Lovetee N. Jones (Industrial Electrician) and Aretha G. Solomon (Boilermaker) recounted how they entered trades commonly viewed as male-dominated and are now building respected careers.
According to the artisans, limited parental support, coupled with the growing difficulty of landing jobs through purely academic routes, pushed them to seek employable skills. They advised students to pursue vocational education immediately after high school to secure market-ready competencies.
In separate remarks, the women lauded ArcelorMittal Liberia for establishing a professional training institution that, they said, prepares graduates for industrial workplaces locally and abroad. Some panelists, still completing their three-year vocational skills programs, said the decision to pursue a trade has changed their lives and earned them recognition they previously did not enjoy.
Christine Harvey, a fitter at the Academy, used the forum to call on the Government of Liberia to place career guidance counselors in schools to help students make informed choices about their futures—an appeal that drew loud applause from the audience.
“Many girls today choose careers simply because they see their friends going into them. They have no passion, but they follow their peers anyway. The government needs to assign career guidance counselors in schools to educate graduating students on suitable career paths. Otherwise, many people will miss their calling and pursue careers that will not secure them employment,” Harvey said.
For her part, Lydia Y. Gartei said she is proud to have overcome the hurdles she faced in high school and credited ArcelorMittal Liberia for offering training and employment opportunities. She encouraged girls and women to venture into trades such as mechanics, noting that job openings are increasingly concentrated in technical and vocational areas rather than solely academic disciplines.
Also speaking, Catherine Naserian, representing UNIDO, described ArcelorMittal Liberia as a beacon of motivation for women pursuing technical and vocational careers. She said the company’s contribution to Liberia’s economy and human capital development is significant, adding that UNIDO is pleased to partner with AML to change the narrative and draw more women into technical vocations.
ArcelorMittal Liberia has, over the years, invested heavily in technical and vocational education through the AML Training Academy, offering what the company describes as world-class instruction for young Liberians in areas including mechanical fitting, electrical installation, boilermaking, welding, and industrial maintenance. The Academy is widely seen as central to building a skilled Liberian workforce capable of meeting international industrial standards while creating sustainable employment opportunities for young people across the country.
The artisans further stressed that more women should take up roles in Liberia’s expanding technical and mining industries by following the path being carved by AML-trained women. They said the growing presence of females in technical fields is breaking long-standing stereotypes and inspiring a new generation of girls to pursue careers once seen as exclusive to men. The group maintained that empowering more women with vocational skills will deepen gender inclusion in the mining sector and boost Liberia’s economic growth and industrial transformation.
