The Skills Development Fund Secretariat (SDFS) at the Ministry of Technical and Higher Education has on Tuesday June 23, 2020, engaged stakeholders on a US$22 million World Bank funded Development Skills Project with assistance from the Government of Sierra Leone, at the Atlantic Hall in Freetown.
Grant Specialist for the Secretariat, Sallieu Barrie said that the project would be targeting 8000 people this year and 25,000 in the next four years that could be empowered with the necessary skills, knowledge and competency which would enable them to compete in the Labour market in 2024.
He revealed that the funding would only target businesses that were engaged in Mining, Agriculture, Extractive industry, fisheries sector and tourism adding that these sectors would enhance economic growth in the country.
Barrie added that the Sierra Leone World Bank Skill Development Project made provision for two components: Skill Development Fund on the one hand and Capacity Building and System Strengthening which focuses on the relevance of productivity and competencies that should be shown in skills not on the use of equipment.
He mentioned that all the districts in the country would benefit from the project and added its implementation would be strictly monitored to ensure that the criteria and objectives of the project are attained.
He asserted that for a business entity to benefit from the funding, it has to be an informal sector based organization; must have been in existence for at least two-years; has to be constitute 25 % of youths and majority must be Sierra Leonean noting that proposal should benefit a minimum of 25 trainees across the informal and formal sector.
Director for Technical and Vocational Education Training (TVET), Dr. Victor Massaquoi, said that the project is timely because over 70 percent of youth in the country lacks technical skills
He attributed the high figures on youths without technical skills to a substandard skills curriculum. “The skills curriculum does not match international standard,” he says.
He referred to fragmentation within the TVET Association as another underlying factor which deters the youth trying to access information on skills development.
By George M.O. Williams
25/6/2020. ISSUE NO.: 7853