As Liberia continues its journey toward revitalizing its Technical and Vocational Education and Training (TVET) sector, a day-long workshop organized by the Agricultural Industrial Training Bureau (AITB), has reignited national conversations on the need for innovation, relevance, and quality in skills development.
Participants were reminded that building a successful TVET system is not guesswork; it requires expertise, intentional design, and the courage to look at proven models from countries with demonstrable success.
Examples cited by Joel Muriungi Mutea, UNESCO Country Representative, included Germany’s dual system, Singapore’s Skills Future, Switzerland’s vocational excellence track, Austria’s nationally recognized training, and South Korea’s specialized Meister High Schools.
These models, Mutea noted in a brief remark during the opening session of Thursday’s training in Paynesville, have one common thread: a commitment to quality, industry relevance, and lifelong learning.
Back home, Liberia’s first TVET Policy (2015–2020) uncovered a range of structural and systemic issues: dilapidated infrastructure, a lack of skilled instructors, poor industry linkages, weak financing, fragmented delivery, outdated equipment, and a perception that vocational training is second-class.
Ten years later, while many of these challenges persist, stakeholders agree that commendable progress has been made. With support from development partners such as the European Union, SIDA, UNESCO, UNIDO, IECD, and GIZ, the country has begun to see improvements in infrastructure, trainer capacity building, policy development, and curriculum design.
Notable among these, Mutea noted, is the drafting of a new TVET Bill aimed at addressing governance gaps and strengthening oversight.
Central to any successful skills training ecosystem is a robust quality assurance framework, AITB Director General, Abraham Billy noted in his opening remarks. Liberia has developed minimum quality assurance standards to be applied across all training institutions.
These include planning and monitoring, organizational systems, training management, staff development, conducive learning environments, sustainable funding, marketing and networking, and business development.
Mutea emphasized that adherence to these standards will help realign Liberia’s training institutions with labor market needs, enhance employer confidence, and raise the prestige of vocational education.
“There’s no doubt TVET, if well-positioned, can serve as a catalyst for financial growth, societal transformation, empowerment, and self-sufficiency,” he said, urging the participants to focus on four pillars: practices, facilities, relevance, and funding.
The Director General of AITB, Abraham Billy, outlined the organization’s vision, mission, and strategic direction, emphasizing its crucial role in enhancing technical and vocational education, especially in agriculture and industry.
He detailed the objectives of the workshop, stating that the engagements aim to not only inform but also equip institutions with the necessary tools, knowledge, and partnerships to succeed.
The focus is on ensuring adherence to national policies and standards, enhancing compliance monitoring, and preparing institutions for successful accreditation and licensing.
“These engagements are designed not just to inform, but to equip institutions with the tools, knowledge, and partnerships necessary to thrive,” Billy stated. “We aim to ensure adherence to national policies and standards, boost compliance monitoring, and prepare institutions for successful accreditation and licensing.”
Billy highlighted four key priorities: raising awareness of national TVET standards among institutions and stakeholders, improving internal systems and practices within training centers, fostering collaboration and alignment among government, development partners, and TVET providers, and expanding access to resources, funding, and technical support.
Throughout the training, participants engaged in discussions, presentations, and breakout sessions focusing on real-world success stories. Case studies were presented to highlight impactful partnerships that have empowered TVET institutions and contributed to community development through skills training.
The workshop served as a platform for identifying common challenges, sharing best practices, and fostering potential collaborations among stakeholders. Participants highlighted the importance of strengthening quality assurance mechanisms and aligning training programs with labor market needs.
Key takeaways included the significance of inter-institutional collaboration in enhancing the quality and relevance of vocational education, a deeper understanding of AITB’s strategic leadership in the sector, and increased awareness of partnership and funding opportunities, particularly through organizations like UNESCO.
The event was acknowledged as a significant milestone in Liberia’s ongoing TVET reform efforts, reinforcing AITB’s dedication to establishing a resilient and inclusive training system that aligns with national development objectives.
Meanwhile, the message from the daily workshop was clear: Liberia must move beyond admiring global examples to tailoring and implementing context-driven solutions. As the nation charts its course toward inclusive economic development, TVET must be seen not just as an educational option, but as a national imperative.
“Let us be bold in crafting solutions that reflect our unique challenges and opportunities,” Billy told this writer in an interview. “The ideas generated here will shape not just the future of TVET but the future of Liberia’s workforce and economy.”
