King Mohammed VI: New Center for Vocational Training in Tourism/Hospitality Industry

WASHINGTON – In the wake of anti-austerity marches, unemployment protests, and internal as well as external pressure to create a more inclusive job market in Morocco, the King has laid out a new plan that targets women who seek to enter the service industry.

King Mohammed VI announced plans for a center for training women in the hospitality and tourism industries, specifically, housekeeping and room service training on Monday, reports MAP. The center, to be carried out by Mohammed V Foundation for Solidarity with a starting budget of 2 million dirhams, shows the King’s interest in the promotion of women’s socio-economic status, for making training available for jobs in the private sector, and for female integration in national development.

The center is targeted toward providing professional training for women adapted to the socio-economic and human resources needs of the tourism sector in the region. The program will offer social and vocational integration into the tourism and hospitality industry whilst supporting women and young people in gaining the skills necessary find and sustain employment in the private sector.

The center, which is expected to receive up to 120 trainees per year, will enable female who have not completed their education to have access to income-generating jobs, while providing the region’s tourism infrastructure with qualified staff. It will also offer training in cooking and baking, foreign languages, and includes a training classrooms, a pedagogical room, a language instruction room, a computer classroom, and technological as well as vocational workshops.