Upgrading Engineering Education and Practice in Sierra Leone

Press Release – For Immediate Release

The Sierra Leone Institution of Engineers (SLIE) was successful in its bid to the Royal Academy of Engineers for a funding grant of £300,000 for a 3-year programme to upgrade engineering education and practice in Sierra Leone. This is part of Phase 2 of the Africa Catalyst Programme.

SLIE in collaboration with Engineers for Change Sierra Leone (EfCSL) (a UK based charity) mobilised an international team of world-class experts to develop a compelling bid.

The team of international partners include:

• EfCSL led the effort in mobilising the international team and providing guidance in shaping the win themes to address the Royal Academy’s objectives. EfCSL will continue to contribute to the programme, which will include providing programme leadership for the UK team, delivering a framework for Continuing Professional Development (CPD) as well as providing mentorship to candidates pursuing Chartered and Incorporated Engineering qualifications with UK institutions.
• A team of leading academic specialists from Imperial College London will support the Engineering Faculty at the University of Sierra Leone to obtain academic accreditation of its undergraduate engineering degree courses by UK professional institutions.
• Innovation Action, a UK business that supports organisations in promoting innovation and entrepreneurship, will deliver workshops, projects and strategies to initiate innovation and entrepreneurship amongst graduates and engineering/ technical professionals in Sierra Leone and the diaspora community.
• There are on-going discussions with Engineers without Borders in Denmark to deliver wider regional input through their strategic partnership with the UNESCO Centre of Problem Based Learning. This will entail sharing the knowledge, experience and findings from an EU funded programme to promote entrepreneurship and innovation with engineering universities in Ghana through joint workshops and conferences.

The objectives of the SLIE programme are:

1. Improving the short-term job opportunities for graduate engineers from the University of Sierra Leone (USL)
2. Improving the overall standard, relevance and quality of engineering courses and CPD being offered at the University of Sierra Leone and the professional institution
3. Empowering the engineering departments at the University of Sierra Leone to be creative in introducing innovation in research, teaching and development projects in partnership with industry, funders and external partners.
4. Creating a community of engineers that can drive improvements in the standard of engineering practice.
5. Drawing on the skills, connections and experience of the Sierra Leone diaspora community to support the objectives as listed above.

The project will be launched in the UK in January 2018 with representatives from SLIE meeting the international partners to chart out the delivery approach to the 3-year programme.

SLIE and EfCSL are very pleased to be leading a programme to deliver a step change in engineering education and practice in Sierra Leone and are appreciative of the grant provided by Royal Academy of Engineers under the Africa Catalyst Phase 2 Programme.

Press Release – For Immediate Release