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Ben Guerir – Today marked the last day of the first edition of the Inclusive Socio-Economic Development program (ISED-MS) for the Marrakech-Safi region, which was hosted by the Mohammed VI Polytechnic University (UM6P) in Ben Guerir today.
The occasion served as a graduation ceremony to celebrate the first cohort of participants in the ISED-MS employability and entrepreneurship program.
“We will celebrate the success, commitment and exemplary dedication of our graduates who have deservedly completed their training in this program,” UM6P President Hicham El Habti said during his opening speech, stressing that the program is “the result of a partnership between our university [UM6P] and the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) with the support of Deloitte during the implementation of the project.”
Attendees at the graduation ceremony
According to a press release issued on the occasion, ISED-MS is a five-year initiative financed by USAID and carried out by Deloitte Conseil in collaboration with UM6P and Enactus Morocco.
The same source added that the program aims to promote economic and social inclusion of the most vulnerable populations in the Marrakech-Safi region, including youth, women, and people with disabilities, at a time when unemployment still poses a significant challenge for Moroccan citizens, particularly youth and women.
Two significant initiatives have been created and effectively implemented thanks to the strategic assistance of ISED-MS’s major institutional partners; the Wilaya of Marrakech-Safi, the Regional Council of Marrakech-Safi, and the Regional Investment Center.
The conference hall hosting the event at UM6P
These initiatives are designed to improve the quality of life and promote the involvement of women, youth, and people with disabilities in the community. They also aim to address social imbalances that have been aggravated by the seismic event that occurred in the MS region on September 8 of last year.
In defining the ISED-MS program, the US government official website highlighted that the program’s ultimate goal is “to achieve inclusive, accelerated, and long-term regional growth.”
According to one of the program mentors, it entails teaching potential entrepreneurs on a variety of entrepreneurial abilities, including public speaking, decision-making, risk-taking, and management skills.
UM6P President Hicham El Habti delivering certificate of participation to one of the graduates
Praising the mentors’ efforts, Badr El Khalile, one of the graduates of the program, told Morocco World News (MWN) that “whenever I encounter a problem in the workplace, I resort to their [mentors] experience.”
Additionally, the event honored several graduates of the aforementioned program, some of which introduced their projects in different fields, namely restoration, handicrafts, and tourism.
The launch of Impact Academy
ISED-MS has developed and introduced the Impact Academy, an employability reinforcement program designed for women, youth, and people with disabilities in the Marrakech-Safi region, in collaboration with UM6P’s Social Innovation Lab.
Deputy Chief of Mission at the US Embassy in Morocco, Aimee Cutrona
Through focused, in-depth instruction, this program helps individuals determine their professional projects. More than 400 people from every province in the MS area actively participated in the Impact Academy’s inaugural session.
Rania Misbah, another graduate of the program, told MWN that “Impact Academy was more than just a training course; it also created a lasting bond with our mentors. My skills, networking, teamwork, and self-confidence all changed as well,” emphasizing that she noticed a significant change between the very first and last meeting she and her fellow trainees had with the mentors.
Director of Social Innovation Lab, Bouchra Rahmouni, stated in an interview with MWN that the lab is built upon pillars. The first pillar is to define the problem together with all relevant parties.
Director of Social Innovation Lab, Bouchra Rahmouni
The second pillar pertains to the process of co-constructing a solution for this program, which involves building a plan of competence reinforcement that encompasses soft skills, growth mindset, and critical thinking.
The third pillar, Rahmouni added, involves implementing a proof of concept to test the jointly built solution and refine it for replication in other parts of Morocco.
In addition, ISED-MS expands upon an earlier World Bank-funded regional entrepreneurship initiative in the MS area and is consistent with the goal of the development of the Support Centers for Entrepreneurship and Local Economic Development (CAEDEL), promoting a coherent regional economic environment.
As a result, ISED-MS and Enactus Morocco collaborate to create an entrepreneurial curriculum. Every year, the program offers pre-and post-creation programs to more than 150 participants in the region.
A snapshot of the participants’ training program
These programs are intended to first familiarize aspiring business owners with the necessities of entrepreneurship, change their perspective to one of creativity, and assist more experienced entrepreneurs in expanding their ventures with financial assistance and all-encompassing technical support.
Applauding the graduates, Deputy Chief of Mission at the US Embassy in Morocco, Aimee Cutrona, told MWN at the end of the ceremony that “we worked with young people, with women, and people with disabilities. It was a great, inspiring group of young people.”
Read also: UM6P, AMMC Partner to Boost Financial Education in Morocco
