Eastern Province officially launches apprenticeship program to promote youth integration into the labor market

Oriental Eco

Yesterday, Tuesday, December 16, 2025, the headquarters of the Regional Directorate of Youth Sector in the East Region hosted a meeting dedicated to the official launch of the vocational training program, chaired by the Regional Director of Youth Sector, Najia Elnour, and attended by Mohamed Alaoui, Regional Delegate for Vocational Training in Oujda, Abdelwahed Lahrich, Regional Director of the National Agency for the Promotion of Employment and Skills, along with staff of the Directorate and directors of the various youth sector centers in the East Region.

Institutional framework for the implementation of the apprenticeship program

This meeting comes in the context of the implementation of the executive agreement for the apprenticeship program, and the implementation of the contents of the program contract signed between the Ministry of Economic Inclusion, Microenterprise, Employment and Skills, the Ministry of Economy and Finance, and the youth sector, with a view to 2030. This approach is part of a national vision aimed at enhancing the employability of youth and linking training to the actual needs of the labor market, in line with the changes in the economic fabric at the regional and national levels.

The five-year program aims to train 3,254 young men and women in vocational training, with an estimated budget of 16.7 million dirhams and the mobilization of 21 youth sector centers in the East Region. These centers cover various vocational divisions, designed to respond to the requirements of the regional economic fabric, in an effort to align the training offer with the actual demand for skills.

From contracting to operationalization

As the first meeting of the Regional Monitoring Committee, this meeting is an institutional milestone that reflects the transition from the contracting phase to the practical implementation of the program. It also reflects the common will of the various partners to make the apprenticeship program a practical mechanism for the economic and social inclusion of young people by establishing clear and traceable training pathways.

During the meeting, the importance of adopting a clear work program and a precise training plan was emphasized, as well as setting follow-up and coordination mechanisms and defining roles and responsibilities. This framework aims to ensure respect for the legal and regulatory requirements governing vocational training, and to achieve the set goals according to specific deadlines and standards.

Commitment of the youth sector and its partners

In this context, Ms. Najia Elnour stressed that the Regional Directorate of the Youth Sector in the East Region is engaged in this national project with a spirit of responsibility and commitment, considering the sector a key partner in the success of the program. She highlighted that this involvement is done by mobilizing the sector's training institutions, providing qualified pedagogical and administrative staff, ensuring the quality of training, and guaranteeing appropriate conditions to receive the beneficiary youth.

For his part, Mohamed Alaoui, Regional Delegate for Vocational Training in Oujda, explained that the apprenticeship program is a qualitative addition to the vocational training system in the region, as it adopts a practical approach based on learning in the enterprise and linking direct training to the requirements of the labor market. He pointed out that this approach will enhance the chances of professional integration of young people by providing them with applied competencies that increase their employability.

The same speaker stressed that institutional coordination between the youth sector, vocational training and the National Agency for the Promotion of Employment and Skills is a key pillar for the success of this program, stressing the importance of the involvement of the regional business community in embracing and supporting the beneficiaries to ensure the expected economic and social impact.

A program in the context of labor market challenges

This meeting comes in a national context characterized by increasing expectations of youth and growing challenges related to the labor market, which highlights the importance of innovative training programs, especially apprenticeships, as a tool to address these challenges by establishing more realistic and effective training paths.

The apprenticeship program is based on a philosophy based on bringing training closer to the labor market, promoting learning by doing, and strengthening the role of the enterprise as a training space in addition to its productive role. This approach reflects a shift in the approach to vocational training in Morocco, from the logic of theoretical training to the logic of competencies linked to professional practice.

The meeting concluded by stressing that the Eastern Province, with its abundance of youth potential and its economic and social characteristics, is a suitable space for the success of this type of program, provided that it is well planned, accurately implemented, continuously tracked, and objectively evaluated to ensure a successful launch of the apprenticeship program and an effective response to the needs of the region's youth.