Share Your Skills

The main objective of the program proposed is to provide disadvantaged youth especially women in Morocco with some basic education and computer skills that will allow them to create their own entreprise. Disadvantaged youth will be trained by qualified volunteer students who will be trained by partner organizations.

In rural areas in Morocco, youth especially women, are lacking education and basic skills. The majority are employed in the informal economy as home-based micro-entrepreneurs or unskilled workers. They typically earn low wages, are employed under seasonal work arrangements and face unsafe, often exploitive working conditions. Among numerous constraints that contribute to the rise of the gap between labor market needs and qualifications thus contribute to youth exclusion, we find insufficient access to skills development, and limited access to resources and education. These constraints further hinder their ability to participate in community development and rather leads them to drugs abusing, violence and crimes, as they feel discriminated. The program aims at encouraging partnerships between universities and industry as well as with non-profit organizations in order to deliver necessary trainings to disadvantaged youth participants. Broadly, non-profit organizations would assist youth in “marginalized” areas in Morocco to get training in basic skills such as leadership, public speaking, computer skills and the basic steps of creating a business using digital system, which will be delivered by qualified volunteer students. Students volunteering (partner universities) would first gain trainings from inustry (partner organizations) so that they could transfer knowledge and share experience with the target audience. Industry would get workforce from qualified students who would accept to provide participants with trainings and mentoring. Also, industry as a key actor in this process, would create partnerships with non-profit sector which will encourage its philantropic action and branding. These non-profit will support youth participants through materials, necessary arrangements and event organization.This model could be used as a good practice in developping countries where there is still a gap between skills and labour market needs, and where youth particularly in rural areas are not allowed same opportunities as other in developped areas.  

In my country, too often, we don’t hear that people still believe that tomorrow could be a better day. Millions of young people are struggling to launch successful careers. Today, the world is facing many challenges that encompasses rising corruption, poverty, and the struggle to empower girls in the worstcountries. Broadly, youth do not easily get internships opportunities and lack trainings while they could benefit from businesses’ expertise and share back their knowledge with disadvantaged youth. Moreover, technology is neglected at the majority of Moroccan schools and a large number of regions remain marginalized when it comes to ICTs. 

It is a “win-win” situation -for win-win success- where every stakeholder has gain in its involvement. Indeed, the main objective is globally to provide youth with basic skills which can help them create their enterprise and get familiar with the use of technologies. For that matter, a key component of this program is partnerships reinforcement and sustainability that fit well the New Economy’s expectations. Previous study I contributed to showed that youth have great potential to achieve success. That is why this program trusts youth commitment to assist other youth in needs.

Disadvantaged youth will benefit from the program. Disadvantaged are those living in remote areas having less or no access to education. Women especially will be encouraged.

Outcomes that will be targeted are:

• Skills development and use of digital system
• Personal development
• Minimum qualifications and knowledge in business creation
• Some young educated is less likely to engage in drug use, violence, or sexual activity, alcohol dependence: better inclusion

Company registration in the regional center for investments and data collection tools - At least 70% of youth participants create their business using internet

Specific data collection tool - Job creation at the local level

Youth feel empowered to contribute to positive change in their communities. - Youth participants gain confidence and develop entrepreneurial spirit and leadership

Technology is around us everywhere and every day. The program ensures to link ICT and learning. Each participant will have the opportunity to use computer system and volunteers students would be given tools that allow them to deliver effective trainings so that they are likely to increase the positive effect of their interaction with students. Disadvantaged areas lack IT centers, though volunteer students will give learning sessions using technology know-how along with the soft skills needed to help participants enter the workforce in addition to self-confidence. 

We could ask the following question: how could we not use internet/technology today to tackle most challenges? 

In fact, combining the use of internet and training is a relevant way to create value. For example, a young student gaining a training at an agricultural company using agricultural technologies with the assistance of an expert, will organize learning sessions for disadvantaged youth working in this domain (informal work), on how to use them and efficiently. 

As partnerships are crucial in this process, every key actor will be involved in making this program accessible to targeted communities. 

In order to implement such a program, research is needed as we need to create a list of partners (industry, universities and non-profit). Our organization would act as an intermediary. That is why, it is essential and indispensable to search for actors that would play a role in this process. Also, to ensure the program is well carried out, we will need a modest budget, which we will collect from main funding sources relying on the benefits of diversification. We wil:

• Solicit support from public and private donors. We would also offer membership in the organization;
• Organize events which people pay to attend.
• Solicit corporate contributions in exchange for image and branding. 

We used to believe nothing will prevent us from succeeding in the implemention of this solution. Also, one thing that let us trust deeply in this solution is that it is based on a win-win game which means each party has a positive feeback. However, some constraints may limit the ability of our solution to be spread to a large community. It is mostly about financial resources and partnerships creation. This solution relies grealty on both financial resources for computer materials provision, as well as on partnership advantages. Partner organization should be commited to offer quality trainings to volunteers.

As the types of changes occurring during these last years require particular attention, New Economy is seen as having more complex needs than any other trend in the marketplace, particularly in developing and emerging economies. With the objective of achieving great positive impact, we hope we will attract a lot of individuals in our journey.

Our initiative aims particularly at leveraging key partnerships and support education system in being more relevant, sustainable and scalable. We hope we could forge new partnerships and structures and release a groundbreaking change in digital economy combining social change and development through skills improvement. 

We are a new organization developing this initiative and still working on creating with partners in the academia as well as other institutions. 

We are currently developing a partnership with Faculty of Sciences of Fes, Morocco and with the Rabat Social Studies Institute, a think tank located in Rabat.

IT training centers may be our competitors.