Washington - The World Bank (WB) board of executive directors approved last Tuesday a USD 100 million project in support of Morocco’s ongoing efforts to boost employment and improve the quality of jobs.
Washington – The World Bank (WB) board of executive directors approved last Tuesday a USD 100 million project in support of Morocco’s ongoing efforts to boost employment and improve the quality of jobs.
The project will focus on ensuring the skills taught in universities and vocational training programs match the needs of the labor market, increasing the efficiency of employment services and broadening their reach to disadvantaged segments of the population, WB said in a release.
It also aims at promoting micro-enterprises while formalizing the employment conditions for the many currently employed by them, and reinforcing the governance of the labor market.
The Second Skills and Employment Development Policy Loan (SEDPL2) is the second in a programmatic series of two projects aimed at addressing employment.
A principal aim of the SEDPL2 is to support the development of a clearer path from school to work, the same source added.
The reform of educational and training programs will improve the job prospects of graduates, by equipping them with the right skills, while more effective employment services will match them with available jobs.
The project will also support government plans to expand the reach of the national employment agency, ANAPEC, beyond graduates, to offer services to less-qualified individuals.
Another policy initiative supported by the SEDPL2 will be to create a new legal status for self-employed individuals who want to exit the shadow economy and pay taxes, in exchange for a package of benefits; including access to credit and affordable social security.
Finally, the project will contribute to improving the quality and availability of information needed to make employment policy decisions.
“As a result of the reforms supported by this project, we hope to see more people employed in more productive jobs with better working conditions”, said Nadine Poupart, World Bank Task Team Leader for the project.
