This year, 100 percent of the companies partnering with USAID's Academy for Heavy Machinery and Commercial Vehicles (AGEVEC) have declared themselves to be satisfied by the young interns received as part of the training program. In addition to their technical knowledge, the recruiters cite the students rigor, diligence, and self-motivation as key assets to their companies. Originally created as a possibility for interns to gain concrete professional experience, these internships have also proven to be an unique opportunity for participating youth to show their potential to recruiters. For the second time this year, over 20 companies hosted 63 students from the second cohort as part of their end-of-training internship. Following the internships, an increasing number of interns are leaving with official job offers. 

The students spend a minimum of four consecutive weeks at their internship at companies working in a wide variety of sectors, including: public works, heavy machinery, mines and quarries, and even farming machinery. Thanks to AGEVEC's solid partnerships with the private sector, students from Ivory Coast and Senegal were able to conduct their internship in their home country. To date, 19 out of the 20 students who were enrolled in the first cohort have been hired as heavy machinery maintenance technicians by large construction companies or material distributors. Within less than two months of finishing the training program, nearly one third of the second AGEVEC cohort has already been offered a contract at one of these partner companies. This growing interest from the private sector in the Academy graduates indicates the need for this type of training and the relevance of the program. As Mustapha Chikhi, the former Director of the Mohammed VI School of Building Trades and Public Works, states, "AGEVEC has established itself as a brand that the professionals recognize and consider as a reference. We aim to preserve, improve, and spread this label for the benefit of the School, the profession, and the Moroccan youth." 

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USAID's Training Academy for Heavy Duty Industry Equipment and Commercial Vehicles (AGEVEC)

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