“Maroc Ta3mal” is an online employability portal that supports youth and job seekers in Morocco through their transition into the world of work. An initiative co-founded by Silatech and Microsoft, Ta3mal provides a wide array of resources and services ranging from career guidance tools like “Tamheed”, e-learning courses, employability and entrepreneurship training courses, in addition to entry-level job opportunities available in the country.

Tamheed is Silatech’s career guidance program that includes online psychometric and language assessments, a career advising framework, and training and capacity building for career advisors. Youth workers can be trained to become Tamheed advisors in less than a week, creating a large pool of certified advisors offering personalized advice based on scientific reports.

Emploi Habilité connects youth across Morocco with in-demand technical and life skills and jobs in the growing tourism sectors. Building on the success of the pilot initiative, Silatech has partnered with the International Youth Foundation (IYF) and Morocco’s Ministry of Tourism to implement the program in all the training centers of the Ministry across the Kingdom of Morocco. Through this initiative, Moroccan youth have access to life skills training and employment services in the main sector of the Moroccan economy, while including sustainability in Train-the-Trainer program, as well as linking employers with the formal curriculums of the Ministry of Tourism.

Silatech is looking into new opportunities to expand the initiative to new sectors in addition to applying it in new countries.

Silatech partnered with Attawfiq Microfinance in 2012 to implement “Bodour”, the first dedicated youth loan Initiative in Morocco. Building upon the success of the current initiative, Bodour II was launched in January 2016 to further facilitate access to finance for young entrepreneurs throughout Morocco and provide technical training.

Silatech, Africinvest and a consortium of investors (including KFW, EIB, Caisse Centrale de Garantie, SGMB, Proparco, Saham Assurance, CMR & Averroes) co-sponsored and launched the U$47m Africinvest PME Croissance Fund. This equity fund invests in SMEs established in Morocco to foster the emergence of regional North African champions.

The partnership with Jaida is initiating a sector-wide youth financial inclusion approach with the creation of a Youth Financing Facility (Fonds de Financement Jeune, FFJ) within Jaida, a private apex fund that finances microfinance institutions in Morocco.

This programme offers support to the Moroccan MFI sector through a youth focused funding window combined with technical assistance (youth financial advisory services, support to product design, market testing and staff training), with the objective of stimulating the development of dedicated youth financial services by Moroccan MFIs. It is expected that the FFJ will serve as a catalyst to introduce youth financial services within multiple institutions, thereby rapidly scaling financial access for youth.

Through a comprehensive and innovative Youth Savings Initiative, Silatech and Al Barid are providing formal financial access to tens of thousands of young Moroccans. Tawfir Al Ghad (saving for tomorrow), integrates multiple components, including a nation-wide marketing campaign to generate awareness among youth on the importance of savings, incentives encouraging them to build their financial assets by opening youth savings accounts, and basic financial literacy training and a Tawfir Al Ghad debit card.

As a result of the collaboration, International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD) and Making Cents International provided Silatech with a grant to promote financial inclusion among people in rural areas, Also 10 mobile service providers funded by Al Barid Bank to support financial education and deploy trained employees in rural areas.

– Mohammed Nabti