By: Problyn J Alpha
As a way of capacitating young Sierra Leoneans across the country and also complementing the human capital development agenda of president Julius Maada Bio, at least four hundred and eighty students from the Young African Training Centre (YATC) from Makeni, Kabala and Kono Districts have been certified as professional drivers on the 9th of December 2023 at a ceremony held at the Sata Kumba Amara resource Centre in Koidu City Kono District.
The graduation and certification ceremonies of the four hundred and eighty students were witnessed by a mammoth gathering in Koidu City.
Suliman Jalloh is the General manager of the above-named institution, speaking to our correspondent, he explained that the institution was not only established to cater for young Sierra Leoneans who are struggling in the streets to have jobs, but to also train them to have the requisite skills that will enable them to make ends meet thereby becoming self-reliant.
Talking on the successes achieved since the inception of the institution to date, manager Jalloh maintained that most of the young Sierra Leoneans they have trained are now independent and are contributing positively to national development. He said ninety percent of their staff in Kono District were those trained in the institution.
“The institution has come to Kono to create positive change in the lives of the youths, and we are here to stay, thus we are calling on the authorities to support the institution in order to continue to impact the youths for the betterment of all in the district manager Jalloh appealed.”
He therefore encouraged youths to go in for skills training which he said will help them to become independent, stating academic knowledge may fail to make ends meet, but skillful knowledge always put food on the table he concluded.
Explaining brief history of the Young American Training Centre, the Chief Executive Officer Favour M. Keita intimated that YATC was established in 2018 with the main objective of equipping the younger generation for better job opportunities. The institution according to him does not only train the young people and forget about them but it also helps to secure jobs for its trainees in the country. On the successes he said they have recorded ninety nine percent from the establishment of the centre to date and that the institution has also established at least nine branches across the country and a lot of youths have been positively impacted nationwide.
“Most of the job opportunities in the companies and NGO’S prior to now were mostly given to foreigners with the needed skill, but since the emergence of YATC we have been able to address such and we have more Sierra Leoneans who have passed through YATC now working in most of the big companies and NGO’S as professional drivers. He encouraged all the young people in Kono District to add skills to their formal education as skills are very important.
Augusta Lamin is one of the graduates when speaking to our correspondent expressed her profound gratitude to the management and staff of YATC Kono for the knowledge acquired.
Augusta Lamin noted that she wants to be among the few females to change the narratives that driving is not only a profession for males, but a profession that also benefits females, and to also let the world knows that women can do exceptionally well that which men can do.
She further stated that most of the drivers who do not observe traffic rules and regulations are those who do not have classroom teaching on the rules of driving and are not abreast with the road signs, adding anyone who is well schooled on the rules and regulations of driving will know the interpretation of the road signs and will always adhere to them. She pleaded with young people especially women in Kono District to enroll into the institution to acquire skills that will add value to their beauty.
