Flashlight #16 – Concept Extension of HELOG Academy

Dear valuable Reader ,

again we have more news for you:

Concept Extension of HELOG Academy – Outpost Training Solutions

Because of the prevailing tense economic situation in Liberia and the resulting poverty, it is even becoming increasingly difficult for students to take part in our training programs at our school in Schiefflien. This is as a result of distance and commutation cost in the country where students are not given special preferences in public transports. If the transport costs are too high, the parents or students can no longer afford the costs to and from a point.

However, this will not prevent HELOG ACADEMY LIBERIA from continuing our recruitment process of our interested candidates from the immediate areas where the anxiety for vocational education is felt.

It will interest you as our valued readers to know that we are increasingly being asked to offer our courses and training expertise also in the rural areas. For HELOG it is a dream comes true as people in rural areas also need education and should be given the right to qualitative and standardized education in order to meet today’s competing markets. HELOG is always ready to offer those young people and adults irrespective of gender, the opportunity to receive modern technical trainings with standard procedures, for efficient service provision.

Therefore we decided to take up the concept of „Mobile Vocational Training“ which we have been considering years ago, and re- develop it according to the environment. Curricula’s adapted to the concept and revised training modules must be reconsidered to meet the skill level in those areas.

Likewise, of course, mobility must be created in order to achieve this goal. We will need a small van to carry the necessary training material, workbenches, technical equipment, tools, etc. on site.
It is a new challenge for us, especially raising the funds for this vehicle. However the situation does not leave many options.

We will gladly keep you posted.

Flashlight #15 – GIZ training successful

Dear valuable Reader,

we have some more news for you:

Successful completion of a HELOG Academy consulting and training assignment for NTA, initiated and sponsored by GIZ in Liberia.

This contract was issued by GIZ and commenced on the 13th day of December 2018 with HELOG Academy Liberia and the National Transit Authority (NTA) on the Gardnersville road.
The entity is presently operating several Hyundai buses for feeder road services and up to 20 Ashok Leyland buses that are being operated around town and out of town.

  • During the period HELOG Academy conducted on site trainings for drivers and engineers in in basics of vehicle maintenance, safety training, ecological training focused on Environmental ecology/Science as well as training in Business and Customer Service and Ethics Workplace Policy adherence.
  • Apart from that the HELOG Academy team arranged that tons of scrap and damaged parts have been cleared from in and around the workshop and were carried to public disposal areas as well as hundreds of liters of used oil were properly depolluted and adequate disposal measure put in place.
  • The training for the workers included how to keep the workshop clean and keep the workshop equipment arranged.
  • Finally two days training on the role of a diagnostic mechanic system was conducted for nine mechanics.

All in all, we have largely achieved the objectives set. We are convinced that despite the short program timeline the measures and improvements implemented, especially in terms of environmental damage and environmental awareness, have contributed to a considerable improvement in the situation.
The training for the workers included how to keep the workshop clean and keep the workshop equipment arranged.  15 workbenches has been manufactured in „Helog Academy“ and delivered to NTA.

Flashlight #14 – Graduation Ceremony

Graduation Ceremony

Dear  valuable Reader,

we wish you to know the latest news from Liberia:

Graduation ceremony for the course for the maintenance engineer 2018/2019

 

 

Of the original 22 students who started this course, eleven students successfully completed the course and received their long-awaited certificates in a small celebration. For organizational reasons, this had to be done two actions because some were already in a job and not all were available at the same time.

We are pleased that almost all students with a degree have been hired. The effort has already paid off. In a country with a youth unemployment rate of 80%, this is certainly an exemplary achievement.

Unfortunately, a downer is the high number of people who have finished the course prematurely. This seems completely incomprehensible to us despite the good job prospects. Whether such a course, which is strongly invested in the dual system, is started again is currently open. At the same time, we would like to mention that the modular training concept has been absolutely successful, as we have adapted it to the local conditions. Most students are not able to afford paying low school fees and HELOG Academy is again unable to fully finance these courses themselves. We deeply regret that.