The Skills Up! Project focuses on empowering youth, primarily in rural areas, who are engaged in Sierra Leone’s informal economy and often face low productivity. Recognizing their crucial role in social stability, this project addresses the lack of training opportunities that hinder their transition to the formal economy, where better prospects await.

Through the establishment of non-formal Technical Vocational Education and Training (TVET) structures based on the Skills Up! development approach, young men and women can now acquire essential skills for employment or entrepreneurship, significantly improving their livelihoods.

The project has resulted in the issuance of 2,798 accredited certificates across various sectors, including Agriculture, Waste Management, Tourism, Fisheries, and Business Management. We have trained 120 certified facilitators in innovative, competency-based teaching methods to support non-formal education effectively. Additionally, 98 AVSLA groups have been established, providing participants with access to financial resources that enhance their livelihoods and nutrition. Notably, female participants have shown remarkable dedication, with 1,848 women completing the program compared to 950 men, leading to increased empowerment in agriculture, fisheries, and trade.

Key partners in the Skills Up! Project include the National Youth Commission (NAYCOM), the Ministry of Technical and Higher Education, the Ministry of Tourism and Culture, the Ministry of Trade and Industry, the Ministry of Agriculture and Food Security, and district and city councils in Bo, Bombali, Kenema, and the Western Area Rural and Urban, as well as the TVET Coalition Sierra Leone. Together, we are transforming lives and fostering sustainable development in Sierra Leone.