The labour market in Tunisia remains strained, with young people particularly affected: youth unemployment is expected to reach around 38% in 2025. Against this backdrop, migration – both legal and irregular – continues to be a central coping strategy for many Tunisians facing limited employment prospects.
This project directly addresses these challenges. It responds to the growing demand for specific modular qualifications in Tunisia’s construction sector and targets a particularly vulnerable group: young people with lower secondary education or no school-leaving certificate. The short, practice-oriented training modules not only help reduce the existing shortage of skilled workers but also improve the employment opportunities of young Tunisians for whom longer training periods are financially out of reach.
The training offers will be made more practice-oriented and will combine technical qualifications with communicative and social skills, complemented by career guidance and psychosocial support. For young people in particular, soft skills and career counselling are crucial to ensure a successful and sustainable transition into working life.
In addition, sustainability is integrated as a cross-cutting theme, including topics such as “resource-efficient construction” and “workplace waste management.” The construction sector is well suited for short-term training modules, as it offers comparatively high employment potential while also providing a relatively low-threshold pathway to self-employment.
An innovative element of the project is the close partnership between the Tunisian employment agency, the vocational training centres, and private-sector companies. This cooperation creates the foundation for demand-driven qualifications and facilitates the transition of participants into employment. The BBP is carried out within the framework of Partners in Transformation, funded by the Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development (BMZ).