Tunisia: Are Languages a Passport to the Job Market?
11 October 2010
Read by 1548 persons
«We are here to hear your comments and observations», addressed Mr. Mohamed Agrebi, Minister of Employment and Vocational Training, to the many young university graduates who came on Tuesday, September 21, 2010, to learn about the certified language training program that the ministry started last June. Several companies were also represented, mostly call centers, who came to present their training and skills needs.
According to testimonies from these companies, language is the gateway to the job market, and even more so if it is a call center. "It is regrettable that graduates with a Bac + 4, Bac +5 and more, have gaps in their command of French and English, both written and oral", indicates Mr. Ridha Ben Abdessalem, president of the Syndicate Chamber of Call Centers.
Call centers increasingly in demand…
This sector, which currently employs 20,000 people, is developing very rapidly and is becoming very demanding in terms of skills. According to Mr. Ben Abdessalem, certified language training could allow long-term unemployed people to enter the job market. A manager of a French call center located in Tunisia testifies: "The call center could provide a good first experience and why not a career project. I myself started my professional life there thinking I would leave as soon as I got a job in my field. But I found my career project there".
For others, language training is not enough. It is also important that the young graduate adopts a personal reconversion project to adapt to the job market. This implies that certified language training should be adopted within a broader framework, taking into account the jobs most in demand by companies and a certain level of competence. Some companies therefore suggest including internships in companies as part of initial training and involving professionals in the training.
After training?
For young graduates, mastering languages, especially orally, is a major problem. "It's a real handicap for us", says a young graduate in computer science. But let's say that these shortcomings are mainly due to the education system at the primary and secondary levels. Otherwise, our young graduates would not need additional training to assess their language level. On the other hand, a participant in the certified training indicated that internships in companies would be a plus, allowing them to better integrate into the realities of the job market and its demands. Others questioned the post-training situation. A manager of a company specializing in IT solutions stated that he is ready to recruit twenty graduates immediately if they have the necessary skills. Following this example, this requires massive participation from the private sector.
It should be recalled that the certified training program in languages and computer science began in June 2010. It aims to train 20,000 people, including 5,000 in computer science, 10,000 in English and 5,000 in French and other languages (Italian, Spanish, German). According to Mr. Imed Turki, director general of planning and programming at the Ministry of Employment and Vocational Training, 6,000 university graduates have registered for this program at employment offices since the program started, some of whom are currently pursuing the program.
It should be noted that language training is carried out in collaboration with Amideast, the Italian Cultural Center, the Goethe Institute and the Spanish Cultural Center. It is provided by teachers from higher and secondary education, but also by trainers from the centers mentioned above. However, it remains necessary to question the real impact of this training on the employability of university graduates and especially long-term unemployed people. This depends, of course, on the willingness of companies but also on the responsiveness of the authorities concerned to facilitate their integration into the job market in consultation with professionals.
Published on September 21, 2010
Posted online on October 12, 2010
webmanagercenter.com
According to testimonies from these companies, language is the gateway to the job market, and even more so if it is a call center. "It is regrettable that graduates with a Bac + 4, Bac +5 and more, have gaps in their command of French and English, both written and oral", indicates Mr. Ridha Ben Abdessalem, president of the Syndicate Chamber of Call Centers.
Call centers increasingly in demand…
This sector, which currently employs 20,000 people, is developing very rapidly and is becoming very demanding in terms of skills. According to Mr. Ben Abdessalem, certified language training could allow long-term unemployed people to enter the job market. A manager of a French call center located in Tunisia testifies: "The call center could provide a good first experience and why not a career project. I myself started my professional life there thinking I would leave as soon as I got a job in my field. But I found my career project there".
For others, language training is not enough. It is also important that the young graduate adopts a personal reconversion project to adapt to the job market. This implies that certified language training should be adopted within a broader framework, taking into account the jobs most in demand by companies and a certain level of competence. Some companies therefore suggest including internships in companies as part of initial training and involving professionals in the training.
After training?
For young graduates, mastering languages, especially orally, is a major problem. "It's a real handicap for us", says a young graduate in computer science. But let's say that these shortcomings are mainly due to the education system at the primary and secondary levels. Otherwise, our young graduates would not need additional training to assess their language level. On the other hand, a participant in the certified training indicated that internships in companies would be a plus, allowing them to better integrate into the realities of the job market and its demands. Others questioned the post-training situation. A manager of a company specializing in IT solutions stated that he is ready to recruit twenty graduates immediately if they have the necessary skills. Following this example, this requires massive participation from the private sector.
It should be recalled that the certified training program in languages and computer science began in June 2010. It aims to train 20,000 people, including 5,000 in computer science, 10,000 in English and 5,000 in French and other languages (Italian, Spanish, German). According to Mr. Imed Turki, director general of planning and programming at the Ministry of Employment and Vocational Training, 6,000 university graduates have registered for this program at employment offices since the program started, some of whom are currently pursuing the program.
It should be noted that language training is carried out in collaboration with Amideast, the Italian Cultural Center, the Goethe Institute and the Spanish Cultural Center. It is provided by teachers from higher and secondary education, but also by trainers from the centers mentioned above. However, it remains necessary to question the real impact of this training on the employability of university graduates and especially long-term unemployed people. This depends, of course, on the willingness of companies but also on the responsiveness of the authorities concerned to facilitate their integration into the job market in consultation with professionals.
Published on September 21, 2010
Posted online on October 12, 2010
webmanagercenter.com
