Empowering Sierra Leone’s automotive workforce through capacity building

In Sierra Leone, the ‘Promoting Youth Employment through Automotive Maintenance Skills Training’ project funded by the Government of Japan and implemented by UNIDO in partnership with the Government of Sierra Leone, is bridging the skills gap within the automotive repair and maintenance industry project. The project focuses on the establishment of a regional Center of Excellence for the provision of modern vocational training, to enhance employment prospects for youth, women, and disadvantaged groups.

Central to the project’s strategy is the capacity building of management staff and instructors at the Government Technical Institute (GTI) Freetown Polytechnic. Technical instructors are essential for delivering the project’s modern curriculum and play a crucial role in empowering a skilled automotive workforce in Sierra Leone.

This newsletter highlights how the instructors from GTI Freetown Polytechnic enhanced their expertise during a capacity-building training designed by UNIDO that spanned five countries and covered 17 technical modules. We explore how the instructor’s professional development promotes innovative teaching methods, enhances the quality of education and ensures students acquire industry-relevant skills to succeed in Sierra Leone’s automotive industry.