Too many youths and adults are coming out of vocational training programs without having acquired the knowledge and skills that will enable them to integrate effectively into the world of work. Such is the assessment of the Swisscontact foundation. In its analysis, it points its finger to the essentially technical content of the courses, which does not include the development of transversal skills (reasoning, critical analysis, argumentation, synthesis, collaboration with peers, etc.) and does not allow the reinforcement of fundamental knowledge (reading, writing, mathematics) that is essential for an individual to evolve in its professional and personal life, and to continue learning throughout its life.

It's in this context that the West and North Africa regional office of Swisscontact organized a reflection workshop on the theme of "employability" on April 8th and 9th in Tunis. Enfants du Monde has been invited to participate as an external speaker to take part in the discussions on taking non-technical skills and competences into account in the teaching process.

Myriam Gallio, Deputy Secretary General, and Florent Dupertuis, Pedagogical Collaborator, represented our association on this occasion, presenting the pedagogical approach and the principles of a quality education that we promote. They showed the relevance and effectiveness of an active pedagogy that mobilizes learners and of the use of didactic sequences that offers training directly related to the environment of learners.

As an example, they shared the successful experience of the "Spaces for Education and Vocational Training in Livestock" conducted in Chad with 90 farmer-educators from the province of Moyen-Chari. By precisely identifying the problems that livestock farmers face on a daily basis, such as animal diseases, the high mortality rate of newborns, nutritional deficiencies, adequate solutions can be planned to improve the profitability of the activity. Targeting broader goals than acquiring technical knowledge, the training also enables learners, through the teaching methods used, to develop their comprehension and action skills to improve their professional practice and transform their reality.

Our team returned to Geneva satisfied with their participation in this workshop, which was rich in exchanges between the two organizations, and Swisscontact appreciated our contribution to the reflection on the training schemes proposed in North and West Africa.