Casablanca, Morocco, December 18, 2013
—IFC, a member of the World Bank Group, has partnered with a leading private training company to help strengthen the entrepreneurial skills of young Moroccans, part of a wider effort to support smaller businesses and drive economic development.
IFC and Attitudes Conseil will train selected trainers to deliver interactive sessions based on IFC’s Business Edge methodology. IFC Business Edge offers high-quality training tools from the global market, tailored to meet local needs, teaching young people how to start and run a business or move up the career ladder.
“Micro and small enterprises make up the overwhelming majority of businesses in Morocco,” said Amal Cherif Haouat, General Manager of Attitudes Conseil. “Providing underemployed youth with essential management skills will give them a better chance of finding a job and will have a positive influence on the economy.”
The Middle East and North Africa (MENA) has some of the highest unemployment rates in the world with youth joblessness over 20 percent. While many young people are well-educated, employers often struggle to find applicants with the appropriate soft skills.
“One of our priorities is to provide young people with the skills employers are looking for, and by doing so encourage entrepreneurship and support employability in the region,” said Sylvia Zulu, Manager of IFC’s Sustainable Business Advisory in MENA. “With programs like IFC Business Edge, we train young people to realize their potential and increase their contribution to economic growth.”
The initiative is funded by UKaid and the Netherlands Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
This partnership is part of IFC’s E4E Initiative for Arab Youth, a joint effort with the Islamic Development Bank. Active in Tunisia, Egypt, Jordan, and Morocco, the program is designed to help equip young people with the skills and education in demand by employers.
Over the last decade, IFC Business Edge trainers have helped build entrepreneurs in Asia, Africa, Latin America, and the Middle East and North Africa.
About IFC
IFC, a member of the World Bank Group, is the largest global development institution focused exclusively on the private sector. Working with private enterprises in more than 100 countries, we use our capital, expertise, and influence to help eliminate extreme poverty and promote shared prosperity. In FY13, our investments climbed to an all-time high of nearly $25 billion, leveraging the power of the private sector to create jobs and tackle the world’s most pressing development challenges. For more information, visit
www.ifc.org
About Attitudes Conseil
Attitudes Conseil is an advisory services company based in Casablanca, Morocco. Its main objectives are promoting entrepreneurship, improving the performance of micro, small, and medium enterprises, and boosting the employability of clients. The company employs 75 freelance consultants and works closely with 11 international experts and four engineering companies. Attitudes Conseil provides services to public and private companies, international institutions, business associations, and non-governmental organizations.
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