By Lewis S. Teh
Monrovia, April 27, 2026 — The J. Andrew Browne Vocational Training Center (JABVTC) has called on the Government of Liberia, through the Ministry of Youth and Sports, to subsidize both public and private vocational institutions to empower young people towards self-reliance.
JABVTC’s Chief Executive Officer, Mr. Sylvester Browne, made this appeal during the center’s sixth graduation exercise, a milestone event at which 22 students graduated with skills in tailoring, pastry-making, hairdressing, plumbing, electricity, and more.
The graduation ceremony, held in the Baptist Seminary Community in Paynesville outside Monrovia, came just ahead of the rainy season. Staff and families gathered to celebrate the graduates’ achievements and their readiness to contribute to their communities. Mr. Browne emphasized that the institution upholds strict standards and that each graduate earned the right to wear the center’s colors through demonstrated competence.
He encouraged the new graduates to start small and immediately put their skills to use—whether braiding hair for $10 per plait or frying pastries in their neighborhoods—so as to gradually grow their businesses.
Highlighting the value of vocational training, Mr. Browne stressed that such skills foster lasting self-reliance, unlike money, which can be easily lost. He urged the graduates to turn their training into income-generating work right away.
Mr. Browne noted that while enrollment fees are modest, the cost of materials—such as hair attachments at $5 per plait and baking supplies- has forced some students to drop out. Of the 52 initially enrolled in the program, several were unable to complete their training due to these expenses.
He therefore appealed to the government to subsidize material costs across both private and public vocational institutions. “If we in the private sector are supported financially, the burden of unemployment that the government now carries will be eased, as young people will become self-reliant,” he said. He added that public vocational institutions alone cannot address all needs, as not every student wants to attend them.
Parents and guardians were thanked for their support in covering transport and material costs. Officials reiterated that vocational training can reduce unemployment when consistently supported and called on the Ministry of Youth and Sports to extend assistance to private training centers as well.
The foundation reaffirmed its commitment to equipping you
