Rabat – Morocco’s Minister of Education Said Amzazi has said that vocational training is an “effective tool” to enable youth to quickly access the job market.
Amzazi expects vocational training to encourage people to create their own businesses and to generate income.
The minister’s statement comes after King Mohammed VI urged youth not to underestimate vocational training as an approach to reduce youth unemployment in both rural and urban areas.
The King said, “Passing the baccalaureate exam and going to university is not a privilege; it is just a phase in the education process.”
Fewer new job opportunities opened in the second quarter of 2019 compared to the same period in 2018. Morocco’s High Commission for Planning (HCP) said on August 11 that only 7,000 new jobs opened in this period compared to 117,000 new jobs a year ago.
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Morocco now is facing the challenge of integrating the growing number of young people into the economy and society. Amzazi acknowledged that young people are “increasingly affected by unemployment.”
The number of jobless people without training or education is estimated at over 2 million people, Amzazi said. Amzazi said that offering training to youth would successfully integrate youth into the globally competitive market.
The Moroccan government vowed to create a roadmap and legal reforms to improve vocational training to ensure that Moroccan youths have skills better matched to the needs of both the public and private sectors.
In April, King Mohammed VI chaired a meeting in which Said Amzazi presented a plan for the development of vocational training and the creation of “cities of professions and skills” across Morocco.
The new cities will focus on training in line with each region’s potential, argued Amzazi.
Amazazi said that the national roadmap would be an opportunity for non-students without a job or training and for youth working in the informal sector.
The National Office for Vocational Training and Promotion (OFPPT) is an institution with many schools in Morocco. It provides training in several fields, including commerce, accounting, aeronautic construction, and social aid.
The institute is a “major player” in economic and social development, according to the Ministry of Economy and Finance.
The institution’s mission is to improve people’s competitiveness and promote employment among young people from underprivileged backgrounds.
Amzazi said only 25% of baccalaureate holders go on to vocational training while 75% enroll in Moroccan universities.
“The ministry will take new measures to reverse this trend,” Amzazi promised.
