About 12 young employees of the Liberia Land Authority (LLA) have graduated from the Africa International Institute of Science and Technology (AIIST) in computer science through a World Bank sponsorship program.
The Africa International Institute of Science and Technology (AIIST) is an institution which offers an innovative way to learn and grow from a beginner level to a certified expert in Information Technology within 18th months.
The eight commencement convocation held recently in Monrovia, brought together government officials, particularly from the LLA, thereby acquiring skills in office productivity and management systems so as to increase professional and standard public output through the usage of technology.
Delivering his keynote address, a commissioner of the National Elections Commission (NEC), Floyd Oxley Sayor lauded the institution for providing the over 178 graduates the needed technology knowledge which he said is key to the rebuilding process of Liberia.
Commissioner Sayor also rebuked all forms of unprofessional and unproductive attitudes exhibited by many professionals in Liberian society thus cautioning the graduates not to emulate such ugly work attitudes.
“As an IT person, you must have patience, most especially when you are called to help develop software for a client. In order to have a project implemented, you must have an undivided goal with an unwavering attention strictly focused on what you are called to do,” he advised.
Commissioner Sayor who is also an IT expert noted that IT Specialists are not ordinary people but scientists, stressing, “but patience is key in the practice of Information Technology (IT) and that anyone who underestimates patience in the business of IT fails often times and loses sight on success.”
“This career path you have chosen is not an easy one. It requires you to spend a lot of your time almost every day on exploring and continuously learning new ideas to make your worth demanding and marketable,” he intoned.
The NEC’s former IT Department head among other things further emphasized, “As an IT personnel, it is always good to be clean and neat because presidents, directors or managers will always leave their seats for you to check out and fix problems affecting technology businesses or offices.”
“Therefore, if you are removing somebody from his or her seat you must smell good. So I urge all of you (graduates) to take advantage of this great opportunity and market yourself in order to be considered for good contracts or possible employment,” he said.
Earlier, the president of AIIST, Madam Zainab O. Assaf said her institution provides computer education for people who need jobs and, or will want to improve themselves for career opportunities.
Assaf said AIIST, which is one of the fastest growing institutions in the Republic, is hoping and aspiring to fulfill the vision and mission of its proprietor by building human resource capacities of Liberians.
She named information management system, computer awareness, office productivities, operating system and QuickBooks as some of the basic programs her institution’s offers.
“Currently, the AIIST is providing training for several government entities including the Liberia Land Authority, Immigration, Fire Service, Liberia National Police as well as individuals who are so desiring of improving themselves in IT,” AIIST’s president noted.
She thanked the World Bank for believing in AIIST, particularly for training the LLA staff to boost service delivery.
Assaf continued by calling on the World Bank office in Liberia to keep looking the way of AIIST for the provision of better training opportunities for the Liberian workforce.
She concluded, “We want that relationship to continue and anytime they have staff members to train we will always be available for them.”
Meanwhile, one of the beneficiaries from the Liberia Land Authority (LLA), Ms. Weyata S. Gibson on behalf of her colleagues extolled the World Bank through the AIIST for the training.
Gibson, who works in the Planning and Policy Department at LLA, said thought it was not her first-time doing computers, however, the training by AIIST to them will never be forgotten because what I learned in Ghana is quite different from what AIIST taught us in Liberia.
She added, “We learned eleven courses at AIIST. We did computer awareness, Windows, Words, Excel, MS Power Point, Window Outlook, Internet and Maintenance, etc.”
Gibson used the occasion to extend gratitude to the World Bank Group family in Liberia for the great opportunity and promised to use it for the intended purpose.
