Youth Alliance for Rural development-Liberia (YARD-Liberia), and its partners, have launched Phase Three of the Youth Rising Project in Lower Margibi County, tagged "Youth Empowerment into Technical and Vocational Skills" (YETVS).
The Youth Rising Liberia Project is sponsored by the European Union and implemented by the United Nations Industrial Development Organization (UNIDO), while YARD-Liberia, a local civil society organization, is a key partner providing awareness and education.
The project will empower communities through Technical and Vocational Education Training (TVET) and equip marginalized youths with practical in-demand skills to enhance their employability and entrepreneurial potential.
Like many parts of the country, hundreds of youths in Margibi County face significant challenges in assessing quality education, vocational training, and relevant skills leading to a lack of employment opportunities.
Many of these young people, especially out-of-school girls and young women, struggle with limited skills, financial barriers, and a lack of access to technical and vocational education and training programs, vices the Youth Rising Project Liberia aims to minimize.
Making remarks during the official launch of the program on March 22, 2025, in Harbel, YARD-Liberia Executive Director, Dennis Kromah, highlighted how important the program is for creating a sustainable pathway for employment and empowering youth girls and women with life-long skills.
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"The goal of the project is to improve the quality of TVET opportunities for out-of-school youth, especially girls, and provide them with market relevant skills that lead to employment, entrepreneurial opportunities, and community development. It will allow young people to see the need for technical and vocational education", he said.
He revealed that the program will also expand training opportunities for youth in marginalized communities insuring gender inclusivity and accessibility.
The YARD-Liberia CEO thanked the European Union and UNIDO for sponsoring such worthwhile initiative and called on the many unskilled young people in the county to take advantage of the opportunity to access skills for a better future.
The Youth Rising Liberia Project which is set to commence soon will be conducted at the newly refurbished Accelerated Vocational Training Center at the Harbel Multilateral High School and will strengthen TVET curricular in the county and enhance practical trainings that will mirror international standards.
The project will benefit out of school Youth from ages 15 to 30, young girls and women facing barriers to vocational training, TVET instructors and administrators seeking professional developments, and local businesses benefiting from a skilled workforce.
The launch of the Youth Rising Liberia Project Phase III brought together students from various high schools across the county, civil society organizations, heads of technical and vocational institutions, the motorcycle union in Margibi, elders, the media, among others.
With the need for vocational and technical education on the rise in Liberia, many young people who attended the program expressed the desire to take advantage of the initiative and acquire the market-relevant skills that will be offered during the TVET programs.
