The Education for Employment Tunisia Al-Najah program was a five-year program increasing the economic empowerment of young people in Tunisia, particularly women, living in the most disadvantaged regions of the country.
What We Did:
We connected nine Canadian colleges and institutes with 25 ISET (Instituts supérieurs d’études technologiques) in Tunisia to better align training offered by the Tunisian institutions with the needs of the labour market – and the employment needs of young Tunisians – in key sectors like agri-food, ecotourism and renewable energies.
By working with regional industry partners, the partnerships also provided technical and pedagogical training for teachers, fostered entrepreneurship, and helped institutions strengthen or establish partnerships with businesses.
Equity and Equal Opportunity among Graduates
Beyond the co-developed training opportunities, the program also ensured that teachers are trained to support their students in gender-sensitive pedagogy, competency-based approaches, female entrepreneurship for educational purposes, and on gender-specific employability strategies.
Because of our work, 20 out of 25 ISETs now have a gender focal point, and 14 have set up a listening cell. The gender focal point and the listening cell support students and refer them and organize activities to prevent discriminatory behaviour.
Key Partners:
- Tunisian Ministry of Higher Education and Scientific Research’s Directorate General of Technological Studies (DGET) and Directorate General of University Modernization (DGRU)
- Tunisian Ministry of Family, Women, Children and Seniors (MFFEPA)
- Tunisian Ministry of Economy and Planning (MEP)
- National Chamber of Women Entrepreneurs (CNFCE)
- Tunisian Union of Industry, Trade and Handicrafts (UTICA)
- 25 Instituts Supérieurs des Études Technologiques (ISET) tunisiens.
- Nine Canadian colleges and institutes
