Rabat – Morocco plans to allocate over MAD 829 million ($91 million) to vocational training according to the Minister of Economic Inclusion, Small Businesses, and Employment Younes Sekkouri.
Younes Sekkouri gave a presentation to the chamber of representatives in which he detailed plans for the 2022 fiscal year budget for the minister of economic inclusion.
Sekkouri underscored that the investment budget within the vocational training sector will see an increase of 138% from the 2021 fiscal year, reaching a threshold of MAD 464 million ($51 million) in 2022. The budget relegated to management within the sector is set at MAD 365.25 million ($40 million), a remarkable increase of 79.8% from the 2021 fiscal year.
Sekkouri highlighted that diversifying vocational training specialties is the backbone of the strategy enacted by the ministry of economic inclusion, small business, and employment.
The minister also noted that establishing an effective early mechanism to help students navigate and choose majors is among the ministry’s priorities.
Sekkouri explained that, in line with the strategy to diversify majors in vocational training, the ministry will conduct research to identify market needs.
The market-driven strategy will especially focus on medial, para-medical, tourism, hospitality, urbanism, and architecture majors.
Sekkouri added that his ministry will see the creation of next-generation vocational training centers in collaboration with the private sector.
In 2016, Morocco put in motion a “National Vocational Training Strategy for 2021.” The strategy is part of a large-scale plan to reform higher education and academic research in the North African country. The plan aims to prioritize apprenticeship and increase employability for Vocational Education and Training (VET) graduates according to UNESCO.
The strategy aims to ease pressure on the already-packed open-access majors in universities and encourage students to study in market-oriented specialties in vocational training centers.
