Better skills for today’s jobs

Employment trends in Morocco have changed rapidly in recent years, with fewer opportunities in the public sector. University graduates struggle to find jobs and are turning to the private sector. Nevertheless, more than 20 percent are unemployed. The mismatch between the skills of job seekers and the needs of private-sector employers presents a significant obstacle to employment.

FHI 360 opened three pilot career centers at Moroccan universities and vocational centers in 2016 to prepare students for real world employment in high-growth sectors; an additional three centers will open in 2017. The centers provide students with online and on-site services, such as workforce readiness training and internships. Students are taught how to communicate effectively, analyze situations, interact with employers and other soft skills that help them find and keep jobs in the Moroccan workforce.

Unlike career centers of the past that focused on education-centered solutions, these centers create strong linkages to private-sector employment trends. FHI 360 conducts industry-specific analyses and draws on data to ensure that skills are tailored to meet industry needs. To develop the first centers, researchers performed an analysis to identify two growth industries in each center location and five growth industries nationally, which included aeronautics and offshoring in Casablanca, agro-processing and business tourism in Marrakech, and the automotive industry and business tourism in Tangier. Planners also held three-day training workshops to harness the input — and buy-in — of the public and private sectors, civil society, youth, human resource specialists and higher education and vocational training institutions.

The centers are expected to improve the employment prospects of about 100,000 young students and recent university graduates by 2020.