Quarterly Report: USAID Career Center (April-June 2015)

The program is designed to convert the dynamic of too many youth and not enough jobs into one where firms actively seek productive young employees and youth proactively pursue attainable career paths. In collaboration with the Ministry of Higher Education, Scientific Research and Executive Education and the Ministry of Education and Vocational Training, the program targets youth with specific training that prepares them for career paths. The program engages private-sector employers to offer them a value proposition that relates directly to the performance of their businesses through work-based learning strategies and services. Stakeholder engagement was a major focus on the technical track, with initial introductory meetings facilitated by USAID with government partner representatives in April 2015. Meetings followed with universities in the target regions of Casablanca, Marrakech, and Tangiers in April and May 2015. The USAID Career Center team held a workshop in April 2015 to mobilize potential future stakeholders of the program, including universities, students, local authorities, the private sector, and regional representatives. This was the program's first event in the spirit of catalyzing open, innovative discussion on youth employability. By the end of the quarter, formal visits had taken place to all three universities, Tangiers, Marrakech, and Casablanca, to introduce the program and its objectives. The University of Tangiers identified a space for the center and provided a member of staff as center manager for the future career center. The university also identified office space for the USAID Career Center Regional Coordination Team. FHI negotiated the sub-contracts of its three partners on Career Center, with IREX signing its sub-contract on June 1, 2015, and Golden Resources signing its sub-contract on June 14, 2015. The USAID Morocco Career Center worked closely with EFE/EFE Morocco to finalize its scope of work and answer questions. The labor market in Morocco is a system that relies upon the strength and quality of linkages between actors in the system to determine how easily youth are able to access relevant education and training. The program aims to understand and respond to demand from employers and demand from youth, considering the broader set of actors and dynamic forces shaping youth mindsets, employer demand for skills, and the effectiveness of existing education and training initiatives. The program's approach to establishing career centers involves engaging with universities, students, local authorities, the private sector, and regional representatives to create a platform for sharing experiences and respective stakeholders' vision on youth employability. The program will host a workshop in each region in October-November 2015 to deepen the process of constructing a common vision with stakeholders. The program's implementation is expected to have a positive impact on the employability of target youth in Morocco.