AGEVEC, MOROCCO

Despite Morocco’s rapid economic growth, its labor market suffers a significant gap between the supply and demand of skilled labor in numerous industrial sectors. Vocational training programs that have been developed in Morocco have not fully met the private sector needs. In the meantime, youth unemployment prevails, placing many young people in a precarious situation.

This state of affairs particularly impacts the heavy duty equipment and commercial vehicles sector. It has encouraged Moroccan and international entities operating in the education and vocational training (Ministry of National Education and Vocational Training, Office of Vocational Training and Employment Promotion) and business (the Volvo Group, National Construction and Public Works Federation) sectors, and development partners (USAID, OCP Foundation, UNIDO) to work together to develop and administer a technical and professional skills development training program combining theoretical and practical learning and internships at partner companies.

They have created the Heavy Duty Equipment and Commercial Vehicles Academy (AGEVEC in French) which is located in the newly-established Ecole des Métiers du Bâtiment et des Travaux Publics in Settat, Morocco. From 2016, the Academy will train 150 Moroccan, Senegalese and Ivorian youths in heavy duty equipment maintenance every year. Resulting from an innovative type of partnership, the AGEVEC project has the dual objective to promote youth employability and to stimulate economic and social development in the aforementioned three countries.