PartICIP - An inclusive and sustainable vocational training system

Background

The PartICIP programme is being deployed in a context of deep and prolonged crisis in Mali, where widespread poverty is compounded by persistent security, social, political and institutional challenges. Since 2020, the situation has worsened due to the Covid-19 pandemic, the military coup in August 2020, and the recent diplomatic crisis with ECOWAS and other international partners, plunging the country into a period of significant uncertainty.

Mali faces intense demographic pressure and an undiversified economy, which has seen little structural transformation in recent decades. The country suffers from a severe shortage of skilled labour across all sectors. Nearly half of the population is aged between 15 and 24, yet many young people have low literacy levels. Each year, around 300,000 youth, often unqualified or with minimal training, enter the labour market.

This influx of young workers could become a valuable asset, if the country succeeds in establishing vocational training and employment services that are both relevant to market needs and sufficient in scale and quality. However, Mali’s education system, particularly the vocational training sub-sector, currently faces major shortcomings that prevent it from guaranteeing citizens’ right to quality education and training.

PartICIP offers a transformative response by promoting an inclusive, coherent and functional vocational training system, aligned with economic realities and local opportunities. By developing training programmes that match market needs, this sub-sector can become a key driver of self-employment and socio-professional integration.

The program

In light of the complex context and the challenges facing the Vocational Training and Employment (VTE) sub-sector, the PartICIP programme aims to work in collaboration with the Malian government to support its reform and development efforts. Specifically, the programme focuses on strengthening the management of the sub-sector, improving the alignment between young people's skills and labour market needs, and promoting sustainable professional integration for youth. These actions are fully aligned with the orientations set out in national policy, strategy and programme documents.

By developing a training offer that responds to local economic needs, with a strong emphasis on self-employment and socio-professional integration, PartICIP contributes to building a skilled workforce essential for Mali’s socio-economic development.

Objectives

The PartICIP programme aims to expand the dual vocational training offer beyond traditional artisanal trades, building on previous initiatives supported by the Swiss Agency for Development and Cooperation (SDC) in Mali. The substantial involvement of the private sector in designing, planning, implementing, certifying and governing the training offer is a key success factor. This engagement ensures stronger alignment with labour market needs, particularly through the adoption of apprenticeship-based models such as dual training, which consistently delivers better outcomes in terms of employability and job placement compared to training delivered solely in residential schools or centres.

Target groups and expected changes include:

• Young people aged 15 to 35, including those with a Diplôme d'Études Fondamentales (DEF) and those not yet oriented. The goal is to equip the labour market with youth who possess skills and knowledge tailored to the needs of a private sector seeking qualified human resources through dual training.
• Selected branches of the private sector, which require skilled and competent labour to boost competitiveness and expand their activities.
• The National Directorate for Vocational Training (DNFP) within the Ministry of National Education, Technical Education and Vocational Training (MENEFP), responsible for coordinating and monitoring policy implementation and reforms in the sub-sector. This actor is expected to lead reforms to modernise vocational training, including certification and strategic governance involving the private sector. Its capacities will be strengthened accordingly.
• Regional Councils, which will assume ownership of the sub-sector in partnership with the private sector and decentralised technical services.
• Vocational training centres and institutes, expected to co-develop high-quality, relevant training programmes in close collaboration with the private sector, and to be equipped with appropriate technical and pedagogical resources.
• PartICIP will implement dual training in four economic sectors across the former regions of Mopti (construction and agriculture, including agri-food), Sikasso (mining and construction), Timbuktu (construction and agriculture, including agri-food), and to a lesser extent, in the district of Bamako (hospitality and catering).

Additional key actors in PartICIP’s implementation strategy include:

• Regional training centres, with the technical infrastructure and pedagogical capacity to co-develop and deliver training programmes in close partnership with the private sector, and with sufficient hosting capacity.
• Companies, capable of co-developing and financially contributing to the implementation of dual training (providing technical environments, mentoring resources, etc.).
• Structures that provide career guidance and information, support access to employment schemes and funding opportunities, and ensure better coordination of resources within the sector.