Speeches Shim
Young Moroccans constitute over 10 million of the 35 million total population and 80 percent of the unemployed in the country. Surprisingly, unemployment rates rise sharply by educational attainment – ranging from just 4.7 percent for labor force participants with no education to over 23 percent for university graduates. While job growth cannot keep pace with youth entering the job market, many graduates also lack the ability to communicate effectively with employers and find jobs commensurate with their education. At the same time, employers complain of skills shortages and mismatches. Without career guidance in higher and vocational education institutions, youth lose the opportunity to make informed choices about career trajectories, with minimal prospects for advancement.
A lack of education perpetuates poverty, limits job opportunities, and strains the overall social support system. USAID is working in close partnership with the Ministry of Education to support their ambitious reform efforts by developing an evidence base to design activities that improve reading skills of Moroccan primary school students.
In Morocco, 30 percent of the population is between 15 and 29 years old and the number of people reaching working age is increasing. But despite that fact, companies struggle to find employees. This is due to the severe deficit of marketable skills, which affects the whole region and plagues the operation and productivity of industrial sectors. In order to maintain economic growth, security, and stability, it is of paramount importance to respond to this problem and to close the skills gap, thereby creating employment for the youth, reducing poverty, and fostering wealth creation.
USAID supports youth employability while addressing road safety challenges through the establishment of the Academy for Safe Truck Driving (ACCES). ACCES aims to help narrow the skill shortage in the road transport sector by providing courses on safe and defensive driving, fuel efficiency for various types of trucks and buses, and soft skills, such as professional communication and customer service.
Morocco is the United States’ oldest friend in the Middle East and North Africa. This bond, which dates back over 200 years, is forged on a solid foundation of our shared values in security, freedom, and prosperity. Located in an increasingly unstable and volatile region, Morocco continues to set itself apart with its stability and steadily growing economy.
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