Published: June 8, 2026
PAYNESVILLE CITY — The Experts Institute and Professional Technical Studies graduated its second class on Saturday, dubbed the “Class of Creative Minds,” a milestone for an institution that opened barely 18 months ago to attack one of Liberia’s most stubborn problems, a young workforce leaving school without marketable skills.
The ceremony drew students, educators, parents and dignitaries who framed technical and vocational training as a direct response to youth unemployment and the country’s skills deficit. Speaking for the graduates, Queen Hanretta Sumo said EIPTS was conceived in late 2024 by a group of Liberian professionals troubled that many students finish high school with no practical skills to fall back on. “Most of our youth are graduating from high school with no technical or vocational skills to help themselves in society before embarking on higher education,” she said.
Founded by professionals with backgrounds in information technology and business management, EIPTS trains students in disciplines ranging from IT, electricity, plumbing and refrigeration to cosmetology, catering, tailoring, fashion design, driving, business management, public relations, radio production and resin arts. Sumo said the institution is registered with the Ministry of Education and the Liberia Business Registry and pays taxes to the Liberia Revenue Authority.
Keynote speaker and former Mines and Energy Minister Wilmot Paye, whose remarks were delivered on his behalf, challenged the graduates to convert their training into lasting success through what he called the “Five Cs,” competence, character, creativity, communication and commitment. “The skills you have acquired are valuable, but your future will depend on how you use them,” he said, urging graduates not to confine themselves to a comfort zone but to relocate and apply their skills wherever they are needed.
Paye pressed the graduates to guard their reputations as carefully as their credentials. “Certificates and diplomas may open doors, but good character will keep those doors open,” he said, listing honesty, discipline, integrity and professionalism as the traits employers reward. He closed on commitment, warning against letting hard-won training go to waste. “Do not allow your certificate to gather dust in a drawer. Put your training into practice and use it to improve your life and your community,” he said.
EIPTS Executive Director Robert Jojo Okyne called the graduation a proud realization of the institution’s vision, saying that since opening in November 2024 the school has focused on equipping students to become productive citizens. “You have shown that education is not merely about passing exams but about shaping futures,” he told the class. He urged graduates to lead with integrity, “Use your hands and your minds to create opportunities where others see impossibilities,” and to treat their skills as instruments of national transformation, not just personal advancement.
The administration thanked the Ministry of Education, the Liberia Business Registry, the Liberia Revenue Authority, instructors, parents and development partners for supporting the institution, and expressed confidence that the Class of 2026 would serve as ambassadors for technical and vocational education across Liberia.
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