Context

In Africa, the proportion of youth amonth the total population is higher than in any other continent. While this is an enormous chance for the continent, it also poses serious challenges to policy makers. One of the most pressing issues in this regard is the high youth unemployment rates, which persist in many African economies despite rapid economic growth. 

A major reason for these high unemployment rates is weak educational systems, which do not correspond to economic realities outside the school system, as they focus on theory rather than on practical content. Industrial skills are not prioritized and skills that graduates acquire are mostly not transferrable to any real-world working environment. This causes gaps between skills supply and demand. 

In Morocco, 30 percent of the population is between 15 and 29 years old and the number of people reaching working age is increasing. But despite that fact, companies struggle to find employees. This is due to the severe deficit of marketable skills, which affects the whole region and plagues the operation and productivity of industrial sectors. In order to maintain economic growth, security, and stability, it is of paramount importance to respond to this problem and to close the skills gap, thereby creating employment for the youth, reducing poverty, and fostering wealth creation. 

Strategy

The proposed project aims to contribute to narrowing the gap between supply and demand of skilled labor by establishing a training academy, in partnership with the private sector, offering courses in maintenance of heavy duty industrial equipment and commercial vehicles. 

The project will: 

• Furnish a selected vocational training center (VTC) in Settat, Morocco with modern equipment
• Develop industry-relevant curricula
• Provide labor-market oriented training of trainers
• Establish career service points to facilitate the transition of graduates into the workforce.

The project will not only target students from Morocco, but also from Ivory Coast and Senegal, in order to foster regional cooperation in skills development within North and West Africa. These three countries were selected because they all struggle with high youth unemployment and because the private sector's need for skilled labor is high in these markets. 

Facts & Figures

Beneficiaries:

• Young women and men from Morocco, Ivory Coast, and Senegal will receive technical training
• A local vocational training center (VTC) will host the training academy and will be equipped with modern equipment
• Trainers of the host VTC will receive training of trainers
• North African economies will benefit from the knowledge transfer

Project Duration: 4 years

Partners: USAID, Volvo Group, OCP Foundation, Ministry of National Education and Vocational Training, UNIDO