Youth Rising –EU Support to Technical and Vocational Education and Training (TVET) for Young People in Liberia

EDUCATION SECTOR

Financing Agreement No.: FED/2018/399430

Financing Agreement Title: Youth Rising –EU Support to Technical and Vocational Education and Training (TVET) for Young People in Liberia

Liberia’s youth constitutes nearly half of the Liberian labour force but is exposed to high unemployment and vulnerable unemployment rates. Socially and economically marginalized young population can pose serious risks to national security, social cohesion and stability. Liberian youth generally lack employable skills and are ill-equipped to access new economic opportunities. Efforts to improve their employability are constrained by a Technical and Vocational Education and Training (TVET) sector characterized by serious shortcomings in terms of quality and relevance, access and equity, funding, and governance. The Government of Liberia recognizes that the transition towards inclusive growth will not happen unless human capabilities are enhanced and the quality of education and vocational training are improved to match the demands of the labour market. The present intervention will seek to strengthen the Liberian TVET sector in its capacity to deliver equitable and gender-balanced access to high-quality and demand-driven TVET. This will be done by supporting capacity development at central and TVET provider level and by strengthening links with the private sector. The intervention will address equity issues with emphasis on remote South East rural areas and vulnerable youth, including people with disabilities.   This project is relevant for the United Nations 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development. It contributes primarily to the progressive achievement of SDG 8 (ON employment through TVET) but also promotes progress towards SDG 4 (on quality and inclusive education) and on SDG 5 (on gender equality and empowerment of women and girls). By contributing to the progressive achievement of SDGs 4, 5, and 8, this project fully supports the implementation and success of the Pro Poor Agenda of Prosperity and Development whose pillars are aligned with the SDGs.   Beneficiary Institutions: Montserrado County:    Monrovia Vocational Training Center (MVTC) Margibi County:           Booker Washington Institute (BWI) Sinoe County:               Sinoe Multilateral High School Maryland County:         Cape Palmas High School Grand Gedeh County:   Zwedru Multilateral High School

The overall objective of the project is to enable Liberian youth respond to economic growth opportunities by increasing their employability and entrepreneurship potentials through strengthening the TVET sector. The contract with the value of EUR 20 million has been signed between UNIDO the implementing agency and the EUD. Implementation of this project commenced on 1st September 2018, the project is expected to run for seven two (72) months, it is currently ongoing and will end on 31st August 2024.

The Specific Objective of the project is to improve the quality, relevance and modernization of TVET, by strengthening links with the private sector, by improving the governance, planning, management and delivery capacity at governmental and TVET provider levels. 

To promote equitable and gender-balanced access to TVET by target providers.  

The direct beneficiary of the project is the Government and People of Liberia

 

Financing Agreement No.: FED/2019/041804

Financing Agreement Title: EU Support to demand driven Technical and Vocational Education and Training (TVET) for Young people in Liberia.

Project Value: EUR 12 million

Project Status: Preparations ongoing for signing of Contribution Agreements

Overall Objective: to enable Liberian youth to respond to economic growth opportunities by increasing their employability and entrepreneurship potential through strengthening the TVET sector, including development of a demand-driven model of TVET provision.

Specific Objective: 1) To improve the quality, relevance and modernization of TVET, by strengthening links with the private sector, and by improving the governance, planning, management and delivery capacity at governmental and TVET provider levels through the promotion of equitable and gender-balanced access to TVET in target providers.

2) Strengthen TVET in selected sectors through development of a demand-driven model of TVET provision under the leadership of the private sector in Liberia.

Start Date: To be decided when Contribution Agreements are signed with Implementing Agency

Beneficiary: The Government and People of Liberia

Implementing Agencies: GIZ and UNIDO

Operational Implementation Period: Five (5) years (60 months) beginning May 22, 2020.

List of Projects under FA:

No contribution agreement or individual project has been signed as yet

Information on Individual project under the FA

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Description of the project:   The proposed action responds to the needs for institutional strengthening of a demand-driven TVET system with an integrated approach to promote inclusive economic growth which includes (1) competency-based training with PPPs– (2) Employment promotion with PPPs and (3) Business development with employment-intensive sectors in collaboration with Industry promotion associations.   The intervention logic is based on two differentiated but interlinked components: Component 1 will address the relevance – quality – accessibility of TVET in 3 counties that will be selected and complementary to the ones where interventions under the EU funded project ‘Youth Rising’ are ongoing, with a potential focus on the following sectors: construction, energy and agricultural value chain. This will include the promotion of innovative approaches to TVET, employment promotion through incubators, competitive funding facility and support to private-sector employers/TVET providers’ policy dialogue; Component 2 will work on improving the business environment for employment creation in the construction sector and then scale the model up to agriculture value chains for micro, small and medium-sized enterprises (MSMEs). This component, initially, will address short term needs through (a) establishing a competency-based training center for the improvement of the skills of workers in the construction-transport value chain and building material sectors, and (2) establishing an employment-intensive construction works program before replication will be considered after a thorough analysis of results achieved.   This project is relevant to the United Nations 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development. It contributes primarily to the progressive achievement of SDG 8 (ON employment through TVET), promotes progress towards SDG 4 (on quality and inclusive education), on SDG 5 (on gender equality and empowerment of women and girls), and SDG 1 no poverty. By contributing to the progressive achievement of SDGs 4, 5, and 8 this project fully supports the implementation and success of the Pro-Poor Agenda of Prosperity and Development whose pillars are aligned with the SDGs.