The United Nations Industrial Development Organization (UNIDO), in cooperation with the Government of Japan, the Government of Sierra Leone launched the “The project for promoting youth employment through automotive maintenance skills training” in Sierra Leone from 2021. This web page will provide regular updates on the progress and status of this project.

Ranking 181st out of 189 countries and territories on the Human DevelopmentIndex ranking, Sierra Leone remains one of the poorest countries in the world. In a country where youth constitute a third of the population, youth unemployment and underemployment stands at a staggering 70%, with approximately 800,000 youths actively searching for employment today.

In the automotive repair and maintenance service industry in Sierra Leone, expanding vehicle registrations and increasing transport imports point to its potential for growth and job creation. However, the industry struggles to find workers who are able to meet the relevant auto mechanic skills requirements.One of the root causes for this skills mismatch is the insufficient and defective technical and vocational education and training (TVET)system, which does not correspond to the economic realities outside the school system.

The proposed project aims to contribute to closing the skills gap in Sierra Leone’s automotive aftermarket industry in order to support the country’s National Development Plan (NDP) 2019-2023 and to contribute to decent employment opportunities for youth in Sierra Leone.

Monthly Reports

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Results for December in 2022 2 staff from Freetown Polytechnic and Ministry of Technical and Higher Education Completed online and on-campus training on Vocational Training Management with ICTILO Information Technology training for 8 Freetown Polytechnic staff Completed Site visits to complete the layout development for the Centre of Excellence → December report

 

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Results for November in 2022 2 staff from Freetown Polytechnic and Ministry of Technical and Higher Education started online training on Vocational Training Management with ICTILO Information Technology training for 8 Freetown Polytechnic staff ongoing Training Needs Assessment (TNA) survey questionnaire review ongoing Ministry of Technical and Higher Education Nominated six VTCs across the country for knowledge sharing → November report

 

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Results for October in 2022  2 staff from Freetown Polytechnic and Ministry of Technical and Higher Education started vocational training center management trainings with ICTILO Final preparations for Information Technology training for 8 Freetown Polytechnic staff completed Training Needs Assessment (TNA) survey tool piloted and being refined before roll out National Council for Technical, Vocational and Other Academic Awards (NCTVA) constituting a technical committee for curriculum development  → October report