Moustaqbali.ma is not a job board
9 December 2009
Read by 1470 persons
Le Matin: Tell us a little about your website Moustaqbali.ma and how the idea for its creation came about?
Khaddouj Benkhadra: Employment is a daily concern for a vast majority of Moroccans. Young people in particular are heavily affected by unemployment. Moustaqbali.ma was born from a desire to help young graduates find a job and, above all, to choose a career that matches their aspirations, skills, and the needs of the job market. Moustaqbali.ma is an internet portal aimed at young people aged 12 to 25, offering online services and information to help them build their professional future. The portal addresses the three key stages of career guidance, training, and professional integration in a practical and realistic way. Helping young people discover the world of professions, supporting them in choosing training, and then advising them on getting their first job: this is Moustaqbali.ma's threefold mission. We rely on a strong network of expertise for this, as this initiative was launched as part of the ALEF Project, a partnership between the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) and the Moroccan Ministries of Agriculture, National Education, Employment, and Vocational Training.
What is the exact target audience of Moustaqbali.ma?
All young people who are thinking about their professional future or who are currently looking for a job! Moustaqabali.ma aims to reach the widest possible audience, from young people without training to graduates of the most prestigious higher education institutions. It's a challenge! And we strive to work in both languages (French, Arabic/Darija)... However, we pay particular attention to those who generally have difficulty obtaining information about available training or the conditions for entering the job market. The internet is a fantastic tool for democratizing access to information. We want Moustaqbali.ma to support everyone who needs it.
What distinguishes your website from other existing job sites?
First of all, it must be remembered that Moustaqbali.ma is not a job board. We publish specialized ads for young graduates or young professionals, but we mainly offer online monitoring of news related to professions, employment, and training. The portal also presents a number of tools and services to help young people build their professional future: discussions with experts; personality tests; databases of vocational training institutions; online documentation center… Finally, Moustaqbali.ma is a participatory and community-based portal where young people are invited to exchange ideas, share their experiences, and share their daily experiences.
The portal is currently in its trial phase; when do you plan to officially launch it?
The French version of the portal has been available online since the beginning of 2008. The goal was indeed to test the services offered and evaluate user interest. The first reactions were enthusiastic! Without much communication, the portal already records more than 20,000 unique connections per month. We are currently testing the Arabic version, which should be finalized in the coming days. The official launch should take place before the end of this year.
How do you plan to maintain the site?
First and foremost, Moustaqbali.ma aims to be a portal of general interest serving the employment of young people. The goal is not to generate profits, but to help young people integrate into the job market. However, operating costs must be covered. We rely on advertising revenue and certain services offered to companies (for example, the publication of their job offers). But we are counting above all on the sponsorship of private companies that want to get involved in favor of youth employment and support the talents of tomorrow's Morocco who are competent and motivated, which will translate into economic and social returns for these partners. We are also in discussions with a number of foundations and donors.
What will be your added value in retaining internet users?
Our stated goal is to be as close as possible to the concerns of young Moroccans. We want to describe the job market as it is and offer practical and concrete answers to all those looking for a job. The reactions and comments of internet users are very important to us. We want to create a real dialogue with the portal's visitors in order to be as close as possible to the challenges they face every day. We want to help them find useful and realistic solutions. That's our added value: creating a vibrant, responsive online community capable of addressing the issue of professions and employment with seriousness and good humor. We hope that the results will be fruitful and beneficial for all these young people, and for all of Moroccan society.
Moustaqbali.ma is not only a website with practical information, but it is an interactive environment where internet users can react, give their opinion, ask for information... Why this choice?
The web is undergoing a revolution. Recent technological revolutions allow internet users to participate and react online with simplicity and efficiency. A few clicks are now enough to freely give your opinion, share your experience, or request more information…Web 2.0 is not a formula. It means that internet users can easily become committed actors on the web. Morocco must not remain outside this formidable dynamic. Moustaqbali.ma wants to allow young Moroccans to express themselves freely in order to take control of their professional future and contribute to building the Morocco of tomorrow!
Khadija Smiri
Posted on November 4, 2008
lematin.ma
Khaddouj Benkhadra: Employment is a daily concern for a vast majority of Moroccans. Young people in particular are heavily affected by unemployment. Moustaqbali.ma was born from a desire to help young graduates find a job and, above all, to choose a career that matches their aspirations, skills, and the needs of the job market. Moustaqbali.ma is an internet portal aimed at young people aged 12 to 25, offering online services and information to help them build their professional future. The portal addresses the three key stages of career guidance, training, and professional integration in a practical and realistic way. Helping young people discover the world of professions, supporting them in choosing training, and then advising them on getting their first job: this is Moustaqbali.ma's threefold mission. We rely on a strong network of expertise for this, as this initiative was launched as part of the ALEF Project, a partnership between the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) and the Moroccan Ministries of Agriculture, National Education, Employment, and Vocational Training.
What is the exact target audience of Moustaqbali.ma?
All young people who are thinking about their professional future or who are currently looking for a job! Moustaqabali.ma aims to reach the widest possible audience, from young people without training to graduates of the most prestigious higher education institutions. It's a challenge! And we strive to work in both languages (French, Arabic/Darija)... However, we pay particular attention to those who generally have difficulty obtaining information about available training or the conditions for entering the job market. The internet is a fantastic tool for democratizing access to information. We want Moustaqbali.ma to support everyone who needs it.
What distinguishes your website from other existing job sites?
First of all, it must be remembered that Moustaqbali.ma is not a job board. We publish specialized ads for young graduates or young professionals, but we mainly offer online monitoring of news related to professions, employment, and training. The portal also presents a number of tools and services to help young people build their professional future: discussions with experts; personality tests; databases of vocational training institutions; online documentation center… Finally, Moustaqbali.ma is a participatory and community-based portal where young people are invited to exchange ideas, share their experiences, and share their daily experiences.
The portal is currently in its trial phase; when do you plan to officially launch it?
The French version of the portal has been available online since the beginning of 2008. The goal was indeed to test the services offered and evaluate user interest. The first reactions were enthusiastic! Without much communication, the portal already records more than 20,000 unique connections per month. We are currently testing the Arabic version, which should be finalized in the coming days. The official launch should take place before the end of this year.
How do you plan to maintain the site?
First and foremost, Moustaqbali.ma aims to be a portal of general interest serving the employment of young people. The goal is not to generate profits, but to help young people integrate into the job market. However, operating costs must be covered. We rely on advertising revenue and certain services offered to companies (for example, the publication of their job offers). But we are counting above all on the sponsorship of private companies that want to get involved in favor of youth employment and support the talents of tomorrow's Morocco who are competent and motivated, which will translate into economic and social returns for these partners. We are also in discussions with a number of foundations and donors.
What will be your added value in retaining internet users?
Our stated goal is to be as close as possible to the concerns of young Moroccans. We want to describe the job market as it is and offer practical and concrete answers to all those looking for a job. The reactions and comments of internet users are very important to us. We want to create a real dialogue with the portal's visitors in order to be as close as possible to the challenges they face every day. We want to help them find useful and realistic solutions. That's our added value: creating a vibrant, responsive online community capable of addressing the issue of professions and employment with seriousness and good humor. We hope that the results will be fruitful and beneficial for all these young people, and for all of Moroccan society.
Moustaqbali.ma is not only a website with practical information, but it is an interactive environment where internet users can react, give their opinion, ask for information... Why this choice?
The web is undergoing a revolution. Recent technological revolutions allow internet users to participate and react online with simplicity and efficiency. A few clicks are now enough to freely give your opinion, share your experience, or request more information…Web 2.0 is not a formula. It means that internet users can easily become committed actors on the web. Morocco must not remain outside this formidable dynamic. Moustaqbali.ma wants to allow young Moroccans to express themselves freely in order to take control of their professional future and contribute to building the Morocco of tomorrow!
Khadija Smiri
Posted on November 4, 2008
lematin.ma
