Background – Benin is one of the poorest countries in Africa. Unemployment and underemployment are widespread. Vocational training has a long tradition in Benin but is no longer sufficient to meet current challenges and demands from the labor market, customers, and trainees themselves. A formal training system that incorporates both theory and practice simply does not exist. This leads to unwanted consequences such as the growing mismatch between customer demands and the quality of products and services, making it more difficult for many businesses to grow or maintain their sales. The public vocational training system cannot serve the number of youths who would be potential trainees – and it often does not meet the demands of the labor market. The dual-training system was officially introduced in 2001 in Benin. Vocation after vocation has since adopted the new system. This enables an increasing number of youths to find paid work. Yet, better know-how transfer and network building is still necessary to build a truly solid foundation for vocational training and to enable more and more of Benin’s youths to benefit from it.

Project – Swisscontact supports the handicraft sector in Benin through the creation of a structured and officially recognized system for vocational training and continuing education. The goal is to give craftspeople the opportunity to find jobs that give them better income and increase their productivity. A national fund finances 90% of vocational training programs. Over 3,000 youths are currently completing vocational training programs in 16 cities across Benin and in 10 different fields:  bicycle/motorcycle mechanics, hair-dressing, tailoring, refrigeration and air conditioning, cabinetmaking, metalworking, weaving, auto mechanics, sanitation and photography. The master craftsmen and craftswomen, also receive additional training to be able to offer good structured training programs, to be able to put their businesses on a solid foundation and to further develop their businesses. Undertaking the training of young craft workers, as such, offers multiple advantages.
One day a week, the apprentices spend at a vocational training center where they acquire the theoretic foundation of their trade as well as life skills such as AIDS prevention. They also learn to read and write if necessary. Graduates of the program receive a diploma that was developed as part of the project and is now recognized countrywide. Swisscontact also supports advisory and career placement services for graduates who are looking for jobs and those who would like to become self-employed. It is still not easy for young women or men in Benin to find paid employment. A completed vocational training program increases their chances significantly.