Vocational Training Support Programme in Chad

A vast, landlocked country in the heart of Africa, Chad is among the world’s poorest countries. Ranking 185th of 188 countries in terms of human development, nearly half the population of Chad, or 47.5% of a total 13 million inhabitants in 2015, lives below the poverty line.

Consequently, the main indicators for education are weak and reflect the fact that the level of educational attainment in Chad remains one of the lowest in Sub-Saharan Africa.

The Chadian labour market is dominated by the informal sector, which employs around 95% of active workers, and is unable to absorb Chadian youth, whose numbers are growing rapidly and who are also inadequately trained. Three quarters of Chadian youth wind up entering the Chadian labour market prematurely without having earned a primary education certificate, and often under the age of 15. The problem of unemployment and underemployment is particularly acute among young people: those under 25 years of age constitute more than two thirds (70%) of a population that is growing rapidly, significantly increasing the number of Chadians requiring an education, training, and integration into the local economy. In all, it would be necessary to create 1.7 million new jobs by 2020.

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N`Djamena, Chad
12.1348457
15.0557415
Project duration
2017 - 2021
Financed by
  • Swiss Agency for Development and Cooperation SDC

The project

The objective of the project is to promote employability, employment – and above all – self-employment among the many young boys and girls who are excluded from the formal technical education and vocational training system, by developing both their technical and business management skills, all while assisting them in their transition into professional life. With a programme duration planned for 12 years, the significant changes expected are as follows:

Improvement in the quality of life of young beneficiaries – especially young women and marginalised minorities (e.g. internally displaced persons, refugees, the unemployed, and the handicapped) in the PAFPT15 area of coverage. This will be reflected in: (i) decent and sustainable employment or self-employment, (ii) better competitiveness on the market thanks to the improvement in services and/or products supplied, (iii) increased incomes and improved food security.

Structural impact on the work environment for young people living in urban and rural areas – through improved training and support services that will help them find better and higher-paying jobs closer to home; these programmes and services will be managed in partnership with local actors (local authorities, regional/local technical services, and private sector representatives). Thanks to improved training adapted to their needs, new opportunities for young people will help them stay in their local areas and allow them to participate constructively in community development. This will reduce the massive exodus from village to the big city or abroad and, in extreme cases, it will prevent crime and recruitment in terrorist groups.

Impact on policy and subsector strategy for the formal technical education and vocational training system – This will include a professional training component adapted to regional and local contexts. It will feature diversified curricula geared toward local socio-economic demand and will promote self-employment.

Structural impact on the Chadian formal technical education and vocational training system – ensuring that professional training courses advocated in the programme become part and parcel of the system and are recognised as such, in particular with regard to professional certification and/or qualification.

Overall approach

Activities will follow six guiding principles:

  • A rigorous, methodical, and pragmatic approach.
  • A holistic and integrated approach that is both participatory and sustainable.
  • A bottom-up approach for the intervention strategy employed by the project.
  • An approach based on relevant long-term quality research.
  • Alignment with local and national policies and strategies, as well as identifying opportunities for collaboration, synergy and complementarity with other interventions.
  • Inclusion of cross-cutting dimensions such as gender, vulnerability to conflict, governance and corruption at all stages of programme implementation.

Project partner

Caritas

Results

  • Improved access to more equitable and diversified education and training
  • Improved quality and relevance of training offered
  • Strengthened institutional capacities of public and private actors
  • Access to professional guidance, finance, and other services to support labour market insertion