Liberia Engages Mohawk College to Strengthen Technical and Vocational Education and Training (TVET) and Workforce Pathways

What does it take for skills training to lead to real jobs?

That question opened Day One of the Ministry of Education’s Education Investment and Partnership Mission in Canada, as Minister of Education Dr. Jarso Maley Jallah led Liberia’s delegation to Mohawk College in Hamilton, Ontario.

TVET is one of the Ministry’s eight education reform priorities, aligned with Liberia’s ARREST Agenda for Inclusive Development. As Liberia expands its TVET system, the focus is on stronger instructors, training that responds to the economy, greater employer involvement, and clearer pathways from skills training into work.

Mohawk offers experience in exactly those areas. The College is one of Ontario’s largest apprenticeship trainers, serving thousands of apprentices each year, and is nationally recognized for applied research. Its model brings employers into training, combines classroom instruction with workplace experience, and uses applied research to solve real industry problems.

The delegation toured Mohawk’s skilled trades, applied learning, research, and innovation facilities to see firsthand how those connections work in practice.

That was followed by a working session with Mohawk College President Paul Armstrong, Associate Vice President for International Thea Laidman, Manager for Global Markets Engagement Ricardo Rivera, and other members of the Mohawk team.

Discussions focused on instructor development, employer-linked training, apprenticeship and workplace learning, and stronger pathways into employment and enterprise.

Liberia also presented a draft Memorandum of Understanding for Mohawk’s review, with both sides now moving into technical discussions on where collaboration can begin.

Minister Jallah was joined by the Chair of the House Committee on Education, Hon. Nyahn G. Flomo; Assistant Minister for TVET, STEM and Inclusive Education, Hon. Nathaniel K. Cisco Jr.; Assistant Minister for Teacher Education, Hon. Clifford Konah Jr.; Senior Advisor to the President, Prof. Augustine Konneh; Liberia’s Trade and Investment Representative in Canada, Hon. Jallahqueena Hawa Konneh; Councillor Ayo Owodunni; and members of the supporting team.

Day One was about connecting Liberia’s education priorities with institutions that have practical experience turning skills training into workforce pathways.

The work continues.

Distributed by APO Group on behalf of Ministry of Education: Republic of Liberia.