In honor of International Women's Day, USAID Career Center dedicated the months of February and March to a series of diverse workshops and events to raise awareness on gender issues, and promote equality between women and men including equal access to employment. Approximately 480 youth participated over the course of two months in the physical centers located in Tangier, Casablanca, and Marrakech.

In Casablanca, the Career Center located at the University Hassan II organized two workshops facilitated by doctoral students entitled “Female Cooperative: Another Way to Access the Workplace,” on February 16^th, and “Female Mobility: Another Form of Migration?” on February 26^th. The Career Center at the vocational training center organized a workshop for young women on positive self-image on February 26^th  as well as a visit for 30 youth to Association Tahadi, a Moroccan association which promotes gender equality, on March 1^st. This visit allowed participants to learn more about gender-based violence from women who shared their personal stories. On March 2^nd another workshop was organized with Association Al Mokawila to promote female entrepreneurship.

In Marrakech, Counselors at the Vocational Career Center facilitated a workshop entitled, “Hospitality Jobs and Gender: Are Men and Women Equal?” for Youth Ambassadors on February 23^rd. Through an open discussion, counselors encouraged youth to reflect on gender stereotypes, gender roles and the glass ceiling for women in the sector. In addition, the Vocational Career Center partnered with the company Swissport to promote job opportunities for women through a workshop on “Handling Trades for Women: Challenges and Constraints” on March 7^th and 8^th. Meanwhile, the University Career Center launched a #8Mars (March 8th) social media campaign that shared tpictures of beneficiaries’ and staff members delivering impactful messages on women’s empowerment throughout the month of March.

On February 13^th and 15^th, both Career Centers in Tangier organized workshops on female entrepreneurship in collaboration with the Belgian Development Cooperation project Min Ajliki EntrepreNord, which promotes female entrepreneurship. A trainer from the Min Ajliki program led a discussion with female students and trainees about challenges in achieving their professional goals. The Vocational Career Center also held a workshop on February 27^th on women in Moroccan labor law, facilitated by Khalid Boukaich, a former labor law compliance inspector and Senior Professor and Researcher in Social Law at the University. In addition, Professor Boukaich facilitated a discussion on labor rights, which provided participants the opportunity to learn about gender discrimination, sexual harassment in the workplace and labor laws that protect women in Morocco. The University Career Center finished up the month of March by inviting two entrepreneurs to share their experiences in the male-dominated fields of construction and entrepreneurship on March 30^th. Beneficiaries were inspired by the first guest speaker who fought hard to earn her place in the construction industry as well as the second who never lost hope even after 20 years of unemployment.

The USAID Career Center program aims to assist young people’s transition from education to employment. Career Center invests in all labor market actors to provide youth with a better understanding of employment trends, demand for skills, and opportunities to connect with the private sector. To date, over 90,000 youth have benefitted from Career Center services.

For more information: 

USAID Career Center

www.careercenter.ma