The Literacy and Training for Employment Project (LTEP)

1. The Literacy and Training for Employment Project(LTEP)

2. Funded byOpen Society Foundations (OSF)with co-funding from its partner:The Advancing Youth Project (EDC with YMCA/Liberia and Mercy Corps)

3. Liberia Population Map 2008LTEP is active in Bong, Lofa, Montserrado & Nimba

4. What is World ORT? • ORT is an international NGO founded in Russia in 1880 • As a Jewish philanthropic organization it worked to help victims of Czarist Russia and later of the Holocaust • In 1960 ORT created ORT International Cooperation (ORT/IC) to help combat poverty worldwide • ORT is active in more than 50 countries and has worked with its donor partners in 99 countries • Since its founding ORT has focused on providing quality vocational training for sustainable youth livelihoods worldwide

5. What is ORT-Liberia? ORT-Liberia is • a registered INGO • a partner of the Ministry of Youth and Sports (MOYS) and the Ministry of Education (MOE) • managed by ORT/IC from its office in Washington, DC and its Monrovia country office, headed by a Chief of Party - funded by the Open Society Foundations (OSF) with co-funding from USAID

6. What has ORT-Liberia been doing? • In 2010-2011 ORT-Liberia - delivered about 10,000 months of vocational skills training to 2,400 war-affected youth in five counties - provided tool kits, business training and micro-grants to improve training site infrastructure - worked to expand the range of skills choices beyond traditional areas like tailoring and soap making to skills that are new or rare in Liberia - used OSF funds as leverage to attract additional resources for youth livelihoods from USAID via the CESLY Project (EDC).

7. What is LTEP and its purpose? • LTEP is a non-formal skills training project designed to generate sustainable livelihoods for Liberia’s youth. It’s purpose is to: • 1. Generate incomes2. Promote literacy/numeracy3. Promote innovation

8. Project Purpose and Goals: Incomes LTEP places targeted youths in non-formal skills training activities that often lead to new micro and small enterprises or absorption of trainees into the businesses where they received training. Left: LTEP trainee learns to make and sell bread

9. Project Purpose and Goals: Literacy LTEP promotes a virtuous circle between literacy and income generation so that: learning is seen as a path out of poverty, - literacy becomes a tool to sustain livelihoods skills training is seen by youths as enhanced by literacy and - both are seen as critical inputs for business success Left: Village woman signs a receipt for a vocational tool kit.

10. Project Purpose and Goals: Innovation Non-traditional skills training is also stressed and new ideas tested. For example, some trainees learn to raise giant land snails for their meat which has three times the protein value of beef. Left: snails in Bong County in a snail cage

11. What will LTEP do? • LTEP is the successor to TEP (the Training and Employment Program). It begins on 1 May 2012 with 3 components: • Component 1: Training and livelihoods for CESLY* graduates • Component 2: In-school training for youths participating in the Advancing Youth Project • Component 3: Centers for Skills Innovation and other support services * CESLY is the Core Education Skills for Liberian Youth project that ended in August 2011.

12. LTEP Component 1: Training and livelihoods for CESLY graduates • Identify trainers in skill areas in 4 counties; place 4,323 youths over 2 years and ensure skills training leads to sustainable livelihoods with rising incomes • Deliver business skills training, upgrade training facilities and broaden skills choices

13. LTEP Component 2: In-school training for youths in the Advancing Youth Project • Identify Master Trainers in Liberia or from abroad; conduct Training of Trainers (TOT) in skill areas where trainers are lacking • Train 360 trainees as Peer Training Innovators (PTIs) to spread new skills • Train about 6,500 Advancing Youth students in schools over 2 years

14. LTEP Component 3: Centers for Skills Innovation • Establish a focal point for skills innovation in each target county • Determine market demand and technical viability of proposed new areas and look for value chain opportunities in these areas • Identify and work with other groups that may be experimenting with the same or similar skill areas • Use Master Trainers to conduct PTI training at these sites • Coordinate with LTEP partners (Advancing Youth Project, MOYS and MOE)

15. LTEP Component 3 (continued) • Review Grassroots Business Management Training modules in light of the ABE curriculum and work readiness initiatives and modify as needed • Improve targeting of the LTEP Trainer Incentive Program (TIP) to upgrade the physical quality of training sites

16. LTEP is Aligned with Advancing Youth • ORT is not a sub-contractor to Adv. Youth • ORT maintains its own identity and has funding independent of Advancing Youth • However, ORT’s goal is to align LTEP with Adv. Youth to build synergy that will strengthen the results both of the LTEP outputs and those of Advancing Youth • To achieve this, LTEP has taken several initiatives

17. Actions for Project Alignment 1 • LTEP moved its office on May 1st and now has office space in the same building with Advancing Youth. This will improve communications • LTEP will work to integrate its baseline, market assessment and other data and analytical needs with Advancing Youth to harmonize field and other surveys • LTEP will work jointly with Advancing Youth YLDCs employed by YMCA. All YLDCs have a common job description and will produce joint work plans.

18. Actions for Project Alignment 2 • LTEP and Adv. Youth are harmonizing pay scales where feasible, e.g. for interns and support staff • LTEP and Advancing Youth will form a joint procurement committee where both LTEP and Advancing Youth will review and approve procurement of USAID-funded items to be managed/distributed by LTEP • LTEP and Advancing Youth staff at HQ will hold joint meetings weekly to coordinate activities

19. Visualizing LTEP Inter-relationships LTEP Charts

20. A Office of the Vice President Liberia’s War-Affected Youth Aged 13-35 Others Supporting Youth Skills Development, e.g.: • YES (World Bank) • UN family • Mercy Corps PROSPECTS • INGOs like Winrock and ACDI/VOCA & local NGOs Government Leadership Ministry of Education Ministry of Youth & Sports Vocational skills training at training institutions Primary and Secondary Schools & Polytechnics Advancing Youth-LTEP Partnership Adv. Youth Curriculum Dev. Literacy & numeracy Life skills Work readiness Youth clubs Capacity building LTEP In-school vocational skills for pupils in ABE program Skills training for out-of-school youth that benefitted from CESLY* Non-formal on-the-job skills training for out-of-school youth. Alternative Basic Education (ABE) In-school delivery after hours for out-of-school youth

21. Literacy and Training for Employment Project (LTEP) Training Matrix • Inputs Beneficiaries Master Trainers (Liberians) Some are based at CSIs; some are mobile and some are both, depending on the skill area and location of trainee. AYP students Livelihood-generating skills learned while attending AYP classes; 2010/11 CESLY graduates Similar skills learned where they reside and/or at county-based CSIs. Peer Training Innovators (PTI) CESLY graduates & AYP students are among direct beneficiaries who receive TOT skills and then train others as peers Master Trainers (Expatriate) e.g., Ghana, Morocco, Senegal Needed for skill areas where Liberian Master Trainers are not available. TOT Abroad In a few cases Liberians will be sent to nearby countries for skills training if that is more cost-effective than bringing trainers to Liberia. They will then be used as Liberian Master Trainersin their areas. Indirect Beneficiaries Rising incomes benefit family members; community businesses benefit from rising demand for goods and services; nutrition improves and social stability is promoted. Secondary Beneficiaries At CSI sites and in community-based training venues non-AYP family and community members benefit indirectly by observing and copying income-earning activities via a multiplier effect as ideas and skills are shared and spread

22. Part 2 LTEP STAFFING AND FUNCTIONS

23. Literacy and Training for Employment Project (LTEP) - Organization Chart LTEP Chief of Party (Gary Walker) ORT/IC Office USA (Celeste S. Angus, Director) Advancing Youth Project Office of Program Coordination, Monitoring and Evaluation (PCM&E) Field Implementation Office (FIO) Administration & Finance Office (AFO) Field Implementation Officer (Harry Muingbeh) Program Coordinator (Victor Smith) Admin & Finance Officer (Garyfox Gayflor) Project Officer (George Taylor) Accounting Assistant (AmilcarDolo) M&E Officer (vacant) Program Intern: Bong (vacant) Logistics Officer (Jerry King) M&E Program Assistant (vacant) Admin & Logistics intern (Dillon Songa) Program Intern: Lofa (vacant) Program Intern: Montserrado Rural (vacant) Program Intern: Nimba (vacant) Driver (Anthony Banks) Youth Livelihoods Development Coordinators

24. Interns will: • Learn about vocational skills management • Learn how to promote innovation • Learn about a range of issues facing LTEP beneficiaries • Gain on-the-job work experience • Help backstop LTEP • Help do research • Help plan and manage activities • Help train youths in skills learned by the interns at LTEP • Propose new ideas • Help prepare reports

25. Master Trainers • Can be identified in Liberia in areas like pottery, snail raising, & food preservation • Can be found abroad and invited to Liberia to do TOT possibly for jute, glass making and new types of metal work • Will train 360 CESLY graduates as Peer Training Innovators (PTIs) to help spread skills to more communities and reach more CESLY and AYP youth • Will provide manuals explaining how to apply skills in their technical areas

26. Liberians get Advanced Training in Morocco and become LTEP Master Trainers

27. Peer Training Innovators • PTIs will be trained to become trainers • PTIs will be helped to start or expand their own business in the skill area(s) in question • PTIs will train other CESLY graduates or AYP youth in their own communities and perhaps elsewhere • PTIs will have acquired life-long skills that can be shared with others in future

28. Ensuring SustainabilityAs you think about LTEP always ask yourself these key questions & let us know your thoughts • Is LTEP transferring skills effectively? • Are the skills in demand? • Are trainees using what they have learned? • Are trainees earning income from skills gained through LTEP? • Is coordination with Adv. Youth optimal or are there areas for improvement? • Are we capturing data accurately to enable LTEP to measure impact via M&E?

29. So Now Let’s Get Busy!They and their parents need a better future! And You are Empowered to Help