Professional Training to the Rescue of Employment!
10 May 2010
Read by 1656 persons
The time when professional training was seen as a last resort after school failure is over, in a context where the generalization of education and the training of senior managers were the country's priority after independence. Currently, programs are being implemented to improve the quality of training offered and adapt them to international standards. In recent years, professional training has become a source of employment for many of its graduates. The need for skilled and specialized labor is constantly increasing and diversifying. "This is a new vision focused on the economic rather than the social aspect," says Mr. Abdallah Ben Abdallah, Director General of the Tunisian Agency for Vocational Training (ATFP).
At the ATFP, satisfaction with the sector's performance is mixed. The number of graduates from vocational training centers is currently 105,000 compared to 65,000 in 2006. "There is, of course, an improvement. But the influx into training centers is still not satisfactory despite what they present as an opportunity for young people. Several foreign companies have established themselves in Tunisia in high-potential sectors and are in need of skilled labor," says Mr. Ben Abdallah.
New sectors…
The latest, Aerolia, which recently established itself in the El M’ghira industrial zone. Specializing in the manufacture of aeronautical components, this company started tailor-made training with the ATFP in August 2009 for 40 people. For the current year, Mr. Ben Abdallah announces that 240 people will be trained at Aerolia's request, including 36 for a subcontractor of the company. "A foreign expert will lead this training as well as the training of trainers according to international standards. For the other subcontractors, their labor needs must be identified," specifies Mr. Ben Abdallah.
Furthermore, the Director General of the ATFP affirms that the establishment of several companies in inland regions requires adapting training to the needs of these companies. For example, the textile and clothing sector is no longer limited to coastal cities. He announces the opening of a textile and clothing training center in Gafsa next week (mid-May 2010), where Benetton already has a manufacturing unit. In Kasserine, another center will open in June 2010. With the establishment of Yazaki in Gafsa, the sector center has introduced new specialties to adapt training to the needs of the Japanese company.
Improving the quality of training…
For the head of the ATFP, the future of vocational training is secure. Young people are increasingly aware of the promising prospects offered by training centers in sectors where the demand for labor is constantly increasing, mainly in electronics, telecommunications, mechanics, and the tertiary sector.
However, one sector seems to be forgotten, that of masonry, where the influx is not up to the needs. "But what is important for us now is to focus on improving training so that it is more efficient and at the same level as that of European countries," he says.
A restricted ministerial council met on April 27, 2010, to implement a plan to strengthen and upgrade the vocational training system. The measures enacted mainly concern: the implementation of co-certification of vocational training diplomas in collaboration with international organizations, the strengthening of tailor-made training programs for economic companies, and the diagnosis of the needs of inland regions in terms of training.
Published May 8, 2010
Posted online May 10, 2010
webmanagercenter
At the ATFP, satisfaction with the sector's performance is mixed. The number of graduates from vocational training centers is currently 105,000 compared to 65,000 in 2006. "There is, of course, an improvement. But the influx into training centers is still not satisfactory despite what they present as an opportunity for young people. Several foreign companies have established themselves in Tunisia in high-potential sectors and are in need of skilled labor," says Mr. Ben Abdallah.
New sectors…
The latest, Aerolia, which recently established itself in the El M’ghira industrial zone. Specializing in the manufacture of aeronautical components, this company started tailor-made training with the ATFP in August 2009 for 40 people. For the current year, Mr. Ben Abdallah announces that 240 people will be trained at Aerolia's request, including 36 for a subcontractor of the company. "A foreign expert will lead this training as well as the training of trainers according to international standards. For the other subcontractors, their labor needs must be identified," specifies Mr. Ben Abdallah.
Furthermore, the Director General of the ATFP affirms that the establishment of several companies in inland regions requires adapting training to the needs of these companies. For example, the textile and clothing sector is no longer limited to coastal cities. He announces the opening of a textile and clothing training center in Gafsa next week (mid-May 2010), where Benetton already has a manufacturing unit. In Kasserine, another center will open in June 2010. With the establishment of Yazaki in Gafsa, the sector center has introduced new specialties to adapt training to the needs of the Japanese company.
Improving the quality of training…
For the head of the ATFP, the future of vocational training is secure. Young people are increasingly aware of the promising prospects offered by training centers in sectors where the demand for labor is constantly increasing, mainly in electronics, telecommunications, mechanics, and the tertiary sector.
However, one sector seems to be forgotten, that of masonry, where the influx is not up to the needs. "But what is important for us now is to focus on improving training so that it is more efficient and at the same level as that of European countries," he says.
A restricted ministerial council met on April 27, 2010, to implement a plan to strengthen and upgrade the vocational training system. The measures enacted mainly concern: the implementation of co-certification of vocational training diplomas in collaboration with international organizations, the strengthening of tailor-made training programs for economic companies, and the diagnosis of the needs of inland regions in terms of training.
Published May 8, 2010
Posted online May 10, 2010
webmanagercenter
