Morocco, US Cooperate to Inaugurate Training Institute for Bakery, Pastry

Rabat – A joint US-Moroccan program inaugurated on Monday this week the Baking and Pastry Training Institute (IFMBP) in Casablanca, reflecting both the solidity of Moroccan-American cooperation and the two countries’ shared commitment to youth empowerment.

The newly launched IFMBP in Casablanca is one of fifteen vocational training establishments (EFP) benefiting from the support of the “Charaka” Fund, which was set up by the Millennium Challenge Account-Morocco Agency (MCA-Morocco) within the framework of the “Compact II.” The fund is a cooperation program concluded between Morocco and the government of the US, and it is represented by Millennium Challenge Corporation (MCC).

The inauguration ceremony of the institute

The “Charaka” Fund contributed 75% of a total investment of nearly MAD 38 million ($2.9 million) to the EFP program. The project was carried out by the National Federation of Flour Milling (FNM), in partnership with the Department of Agriculture and the National Association for the Promotion of Bakery and Pastry (ANVBP).

The IFMBP has been endowed with technical and educational equipment for a total amount of almost MAD 9.3 million ($908 million), including training workshops in bakery, pastry and confectionery, a training room, a conference room, premises for the storage of raw materials and finished products, administrative and technical premises, a restaurant, a kitchen, and various outbuildings.

This institute will eventually offer a capacity of 400 educational seats annually, including 160 seats for alternative and 240 seats in apprenticeship training. These are distributed in six courses, including viennese bakery, pastry and confectionery chocolatier glacier, management of a bakery and pastry place, assistant baker, assistant pastry chef, and salesperson.

The inauguration of the institute comes right after Moroccan teams won the African Bakery Cup and the Morjane Halima Trophy during a competition held last week at the Mohammed VI Exhibition Park in El Jadida.

Morocco won first place in both the Bakey Cup and Chef’s Cup competition, organized by the International Exhibition of Restaurant, Catering, and Hotel Professionals’ gastronomy competition (CREMAI).

According to the organization’s press release, the competition “highlighted the talent and innovation of the chefs of the region.”

In addition to initial vocational training, the Casablanca IFMBP will provide qualification or requalification training for young job seekers, continuous training and development for the staff of companies in the sector, as well as any other training course in occupations related to the ones targeted by the institute.

The “Charaka” Fund has over the years invested a total of approximately 1.1 billion DH in 15 projects, namely the creation of nine EFPs and the extension, rehabilitation and/or retraining of six existing EFPs. These projects cover the sectors of agriculture and agro-industry, tourism, industry, crafts, construction, transport, logistics, and health.

Located in six regions across Morocco, namely Casablanca-Settat, Fez-Meknes, Tangier-Tetouan-Al Hoceima, Beni Mellal-Khenifra, Drâa-Tafilalet, and the Oriental, the EFPs are set to train nearly 13,000 trainees annually.