Cooperation between the - mostly state-run - vocational training institutions and the private sector in Côte d'Ivoire offers a lot of potential that has not yet been sufficiently exploited. Therefore, in cooperation with the PartnerAfrika project of the Saar-Lor-Lux Environment Centre, stakeholders from both sides organised a conference in Abidjan to work out joint steps for improved cooperation.
The Director of Initial Vocational Training at the Ministry of Technical Education, Vocational Training and Apprenticeship, Fofié Koffi, and the representative of the German Embassy in Côte d'Ivoire, Elena Molina, attended the event. Both expressed the conviction that close cooperation with the private sector is essential to counteract the country's high youth unemployment rate: "You have to involve companies in the training process. The state must design the necessary conditions for better involvement of enterprises so that the training courses developed by the vocational training centres meet the needs of these enterprises," Director Koffi stressed.
"This project aims to improve the employability of young people, but also of artisans who are already working in this sector. We try to increase their competences and skills so that they can find employment," affirms project manager Carola Schmidt.
