March 10, 2021
By: Aruna Kamara (Bo)
The National Executive Director of the Sierra Leone Opportunity and Industrialization Centre (SLOIC), Ben A. Sei has commended President Julius Maada Bio for accepting a loan of twenty two million dollar from the World Bank for skill training; of which the SLOIC is a beneficiary.
He made this statement at the matriculation ceremony of over 800 students admitted to be trained in various skills. The ceremony took place at the SLOIC campus last weekend.
Mr. Sei said that education is the bed rock of the socio economic development of a nation and that that he likes the vision of President Bio on education as part of building on the human capital development, as education is among his key priority areas.
He said that acquiring education in skills training is also the focus of the president and investing in the technical vocation institutions is a step taken in the right direction.
SLOIC director pointed out that since he took over the institution, it has been transformed to the admiration of all and the high number of people from all works of life admitted into all the campus in Matru, Lugay and Makeni is a clear testimony, adding that students who applied and are rejected are not happy.
Mr. Sei encouraged the 2020/2021 matriculants to remain focus on their course as they have made the right choice of enrolling for various skill training courses, which has the potential to change their lives and the nation.
He said that SLOIC trainees are not jobs seekers but trainers, as immediately after their graduation they become self-reliant and create jobs for others.
Mr. Sei however said that out that there is rush for SLOIC trainees by most of the institutions who needs skilled personnel and a lot of them are employed in institutions including the Sierra Rutile, Electricity and Distribution Supplying Authority (EDSA) .
“With SLOIC certificate you can get job all over the world as the institution is all over the world,” SLOIC director maintains.
He said that the government cannot provide job for everybody but SLOIC can easily make people get job ,while some university graduates come to SLOIC to acquire skills in order to secure jobs as the ‘bookish’ type of education cannot make them employed or become self-employed.
Mr. Sei noted that if the lives of the youths are not transformed they will be involved in criminal acts and that the SLOIC is complimenting the effort of the government to help bring stability or peace in the community as it is a civil peace organization.
He said that providing skills training for the youths will help make them useful in the society as they contribute to the development of their communities by implementing what they have learnt at SLOIC.
Mr. Sei encourages the parents or guardians to support their children or ward being enrolled into the institution to help them achieve their goal of acquiring skills.
SLOIC director commended the tutors for their support in building the middle level manpower, which according to him, is key towards the development of a nation, as advanced nations largely depend on the middle level manpower for the growth of the nation.
The Training Manager of the Sierra Leone Opportunity industrialization Centre in Bo, Fatorma Musa said that the national director with a police background is very developmentally oriented with an aim of seeing the youths transformed for the development of the country.
He said that under the leadership of the national director, there have been innovations in the programs or courses offered by the institution to meets to the needs of the modern times and therefore encouraged all the youths to enroll into the Centre and make themselves useful in society.
The Local Unit Commander of the Bo West Police Division, Chief Superintendent of Police, Joseph Saffa anchored his speech on the drama of the matriculants on youth empowerment, saying that “youths need to empowered with skills in order to say no to violence and that it was the right step taken by the youths to be admitted into SLOIC to acquire skills to also contribute to nation building”.
The Chairperson of the Management Committee for SLOIC, Jenneh Minah told the matriculants that SLOIC is here to stay to change the lives of the people for the better, especially the youths who are vulnerable in the society. She admonished the matriculants to remain focus on their course.
The Vice President of the Sierra Leone Teachers Union in the South, Madam Hawa Kamanda said that she was happy to see a huge number of women coming into the centre to acquire skills.
According to her, it was the right step taken by the women to come to the centre instead of going to the streets to become commercial sex workers, which has the potential of making them acquire various diseases.
She said that upon their graduation they will become self-reliant and help their family members, noting that as a gender activist she wants to see more women acquiring skills.
Madam Kamanda thanked the tutors of the centre and encourage them to give their best in delivery teaching service to the trainees as God will bless them, adding that teaching is a noble profession that they should be proud of.
The Program Officer of the SLOIC, Bob Kaifala said that he was happy to see a dynamic young women and youths coming into the centre to acquire skills in order to be become self-reliant.
He thanked the executive director of the SLOIC for taking the institution to an enviable height, with most tutors now on pay roll and prays for God to continue to showers his blessing on the director to continue to do more for the growth of the institution.
The President of the SLOIC Alumni Association, Bintu Mac-Sellu said the SLOIC is a like bird in the hands of the director and for it to remain alive, is largely depended on the national Director and the staff of the institution.
She however encouraged the trainees upon their graduation to join the Association to give support to the director and the staff for the growth of the institution.
Alhaji Sidi Sowa who chaired the occasion said that she is always available to give his service to the institution, pointing out that he groomed up the training Manager in Bo that is now delivery quality service to SLOIC. +
The Student Union President moved the vote of thanks and called on the new trainees to put on the best behavior on campus.