On December 28, at a solemn ceremony held at Bread Avenue in Freetown, the Bread Avenue Academy received its official accreditation from the NCTVA (National
Council for Technical and Academic Awards) as the official academic institution empowered to provide professional and academic certificates and diplomas, recognized both nationally and internationally, to students in Sierra Leone. The awards ceremony and certificate of accreditation were presented to Mr. Mark Pritch Managing Director of Sonoco Sierra Leone by the Honourable Minister of Technical and Higher Education, Dr. Haja Ramatulai Wurie.
This occasion marks an important milestone in the history of Sonoco Sierra Leone and a real step forward in the development of the Sonoco Group. The Academy will open its doors to its first students in January 2024, providing courses and certifications in pastry-making, baking and entrepreneurship to young people in Sierra Leone. Initial intake will be 90 students for a six-month training program focusing on both theoretical and practical skills, and will run for a total of 360 hours. The student selection process is about to be finalized, teachers have been hired, the curriculum has been established and the students' practice room and classroom are now in the final stages of preparation.
All courses are free of charge for participating students.
Commenting on this historic achievement, Dr. Wurie hailed the initiative taken by the Sonoco Group as a true bastion of what the private sector can do to support the government's objectives of increasing employment, building skills, training a generation of entrepreneurs and helping the country's social and economic development. In his comments, Mr. Pritchard thanked both the NCTVA and the Ministry of Technical and Higher Education for its unstinting support, and once again expressed the Sonoco Group's commitment to doing everything in its power to stimulate skills, entrepreneurship and support the country's economic development.
After the official swearing-in ceremony, conference delegates were treated to an impromptu song by the Academy's future students and teachers, expressing their delight at the opportunity they had been given. The event concluded with a tour of the Bread Avenue facilities and, of course, a tasting of culinary delights.