Thursday, October 3, 2019 - The Attijariwafa bank Foundation organized on Thursday, October 3, 2019, in Casablanca, the 52nd edition of its cycle of conference series «Exchange to better Understand» around the theme: «Employment of young people: vocational training opens the doors to future professions».
This meeting led to shedding light on the OFPPT’s new vocational training strategy and analyzing the job market, which is constantly changing and will continue to change in a context of digital and technological revolution.
In a word of welcome, Mr. Mohamed El Kettani, Chief Executive Officer of the Attijariwafa bank group, recalled the strategic importance of vocational training, a decisive project for the future of the country and placed high on the list of national priorities: «As His Majesty King Mohammed VI, may God assist Him, stated in his speech of August 21, 2019, ‘the promotion of vocational training is now a compelling necessity, not only to create new jobs, but also to enable Morocco to meet the challenges of economic competitiveness, and to be in tune with new global developments in various fields’ «.
Moderated by Mrs. Houda Farrahe, Director of the International Training Academy, this meeting brought together a panel composed of Mrs. Loubna Tricha, Managing Director of the Office of Vocational Training and Labor Promotion (OFPPT); Ms. Sofia Nouri, Managing Partner of N2Growth Morocco; Ms. Fatima Zahra Azzaoui, Head of the Tangier Free Zone Automotive Industry Training Institute (IFMIA) of Renault Moroc Group; and Mr. Hamza Debbarh, Founder of 3W Academy Morocco.
Ms. Loubna Tricha, in the opening, presented the objectives of the new strategy of the Office and the main projects included in the roadmap. OFPPT’s Managing General then specified that all the aspects related to the current context and its evolution, were taken into account, in particular, the soft skills training; the creation of a common core ensuring a solid multi-purpose base; the adoption of new teaching methods; the inclusion of digital in the learning process; the enrichment of the training portfolio, etc. Three challenges are now the priorities of the Office: the search for synergies between the OFPPT, the Regions and the Companies; training and valorization of trainers; and the integration of the value chain knowing that the success of this roadmap is dependent on companies’ ability to anticipate skills and professions.
For her part, Ms. Sofia Nouri painted a picture of the new trends in the job market, highlighting the strong demand for professions related to digital, artificial intelligence and renewable energy. All these professions and related training will experience strong growth during the next decade. But to deal with the issue of brain drain and the arrival of Generation Y on the labor market, Ms. Nouri stressed the need to retain talent that is one of the major challenges of Morocco. As a result, companies need to consider the aspirations of this generation in the management of their human resources, namely the well-being of their work, the quest for meaning and the pride of belonging to the company. But for Ms. Nouri, the focus should be on the development of soft skills of employees, knowing that the technical skills are easily accessible to all.
As for Ms. Fatima Zahra Azzaoui, she shared the Renault Group’s field experience in Morocco, which is very much in demand for technical skills. She emphasized the importance of the profession aspect for companies in the industrial sector, which cannot achieve their objectives without qualified human resources. The head of Renault’s IFMIA cited as an example the cooperation between the OFPPT and Renault Maroc. Thanks to this partnership, several training actions allowed the Tangier factory to start on time and produce 400,000 vehicles a year. This public/private partnership has thus contributed to the genesis of the automobile industry in Morocco, an industry that is now one of the leading export sectors, ahead of phosphates.
Finally, Mr. Hamza Debbarh outlined three major challenges to youth employment: the demographic challenge since the net jobs created each year do not absorb newcomers; the technological challenge with the digital revolution and the change in our daily habits that no longer make it possible to anticipate the changes in the job market; and the sociological challenge of the presence on the job market of different generations who must learn to work together.
Mr. Debbarh emphasized the importance of agility and trust. Companies will need to adopt agile training systems to train agile young people, able to adapt to the unknown. In addition, it is essential to build a web of trust and goodwill between employees of different generations.
Through this conference devoted to a topical issue, the Attijariwafa bank Foundation renews its commitment to promote a constructive debate on economic, cultural and social issues that concern the future of Morocco.
VERBATIM
Ms. Loubna Tricha:
«Today, the advanced sectors employ 70% of technicians and only 30% of managers. However, only 25% of young graduates opt for vocational training, while 75% of them choose the university. The aim of our roadmap is to rectify this contradiction by making vocational training a path of excellence.»
Ms. Sofia Nouri:
«We should adopt the Anglo-Saxon model, which places a premium on self-confidence and leadership; and that does not hinder enterprising employees. These people have a positive impact on their work environment.»
Ms. Fatima Zahra Azzaoui:
«We cannot promote the Made in Morocco without our local skills. That’s why we are recruiting the OFPPT laureates. As part of our partnership, we launched a school of automotive tools in 2017. These rare professions are a factor of competitiveness of our local industry.»
Mr. Hamza Debbarh:
«Our courses are designed to train not 300 but 2000 qualified programmers and more. To get around the lack of qualified trainers we had to train not only trainers but also to develop highly structured processes to benefit the greatest number. Our programs are 100% focused on soft skills. This will allow us to irrigate a very demanding market and integrate a globalized value chain.»
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