A framework agreement for strengthening the training of engineers, middle managers and senior technicians in various industrial sectors was signed on Tuesday 15 February in Rabat, the objective being to put the public-private partnership (PPP) at the service training adapted to the growing and increasingly specialized need of manufacturers for specialized skills.
The result of a study launched by the Ministry of Industry and Trade, with the support of the EBRD, the agreement was signed by the Minister of Industry and Trade, Ryad Mezzour, the Minister of Education Superior, Scientific Research and Innovation, Abdellatif Miraoui, President of the General Confederation of Moroccan Enterprises (CGEM), Chakib Alj, President of the Moroccan Association for Automobile Industry and Construction (AMICA) , Abdelmoumen Hakim, and the President of the Group of Moroccan Aeronautical and Space Industries (GIMAS), Karim Cheikh.
In addition to upgrading existing training, this agreement aims for the gradual integration of training modules on soft skills, sustainable/carbon-free production and industry 4.0, but also the involvement of manufacturers in improving the training offered by universities, in particular for the automotive and aeronautical sectors.
For Ryad Mezzour, “it is to human capital that we owe the development of our industry”, recalling that the King, Mohammed VI “has placed training at the heart of national priorities with a view to providing Morocco with skills capable of to meet the challenges of global competitiveness and strengthen our industrial sovereignty”.
“This convention responds to this objective and to the recommendations of the New Development Model (NMD) implemented by the government,” he said.
While highlighting the importance of this new PPP in “the creation of jobs through tailor-made technical, managerial and soft skills training expected of the engineer, manager and technician of tomorrow , the minister underlined that “with better optimization of higher education and employment, our young people will be more and better involved in the development and modernization of our industry”.
For his part, Abdellatif Miraoui noted that the country “has begun a transformation project of multidimensional scope, aimed at boosting the quality of the ecosystem of higher education, scientific research and innovation and at substantially enhancing its contribution to the development of our country.
The primary purpose of this structuring project, he said, “is to form high-quality human capital that better meets the current and future needs of the various sectors of the national economy. The agreement concluded today presides over this major concern and should contribute to the strengthening of synergies between the ESRI ecosystem and the productive sectors, for enhanced competitiveness and attractiveness of the national economy”.
As part of this agreement, the Ministry of Higher Education undertakes to mobilize universities to train engineers, middle managers and senior technicians according to the specific needs expressed by manufacturers via the CGEM, AMICA and the GIMAS. The objective is to fill the quantitative and qualitative gap in the training of engineers, middle managers and TS, by 2025. And this, by adapting the content of the existing sectors relating to 10 macro-sectors for engineers and 8 macro-sectors for TS and middle managers and the creation of 13 new sectors/specializations in new industry professions.
This ministry will thus increase the volume devoted to soft skills aspects and the integration of training modules related to industry 4.0 and sustainable / carbon-free production. And to do this, it will in particular encourage universities to involve industrial players and their representatives (CGEM, AMICA and GIMAS) in the design of training programs while facilitating business/university partnerships for the creation of courses and specializations.
As for the CGEM, AMICA and GIMAS, they undertake to conclude specific agreements with the universities to train profiles determined according to their needs (updated annually), to contribute to the improvement of training programs and to the integration of graduates into the companies they represent. They also undertake to involve companies in the design of training programs, among other things.
For its part, the Ministry of Industry and Trade is committed to mobilizing industrial players and their representatives (CGEM, AMICA and GIMAS) to conclude specific agreements with universities and to contribute to the design and implementation implementation of training programs. To this end, it will facilitate partnerships between private parties and the Ministry of Higher Education / universities, for the creation of courses and specializations.
This framework agreement will be implemented within the framework of specific agreements to be concluded between the CGEM, AMICA, GIMAS and the universities.
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