Quick Facts

• Project Duration: 4-years, with additional option year 2015 - 2019/20
• Geographic Focus: Casablanca, Marrakech, and Tangier
• Total USAID Funding: $24 million

Context

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 1.6 percent for labor force participants with no education to over 22 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.

USAID Response

In response to these challenges, USAID Morocco has designed the USAID Career Center program to assist young people’s transition from education to employment. The Career Centers invest 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. The program uses communication and outreach to accelerate change and position the USAID Career Center as a platform and leading point of access for youth employability.

During the first two years of the program, five physical Career Centers and a Virtual Career Center that have been launched. Each of the brick-and-mortar Career Centers provide students and vocational trainees with diagnostic tools to help them discover their potential; market information on viable career pathways; and provide work readiness training (soft skills + job search skills) and networking opportunities to network to prepare youth for a professional work environment. The Virtual Career Center (careercenter.ma) offers on-line services for young Moroccans that cannot visit the physical centers.

Results to Date

• More than 47,000 youth have benefited from Career Center services.
• 40 private organizations partnered with the Career Center.
• Over 110,000 visits to the Virtual Career Center and more than 12,200 registered users.
• 24 soft skills modules were developed.
• 152 Youth Ambassadors were trained to promote Career Center.
• The Ministry of Education donated physical space and hired and trained Career Center staff, which have contributed to the sustainability of the program.

To learn more: www.careercenter.ma