Project profile — Education for Employment in Tunisia

• Tunisia (100.00%)

• Education, Level Unspecified: Teacher training (11130) (40.00%)
• Post-Secondary Education: Advanced technical and managerial training (11430) (40.00%)
• Industry: Small and medium-sized enterprises (SME) development (32130) (20.00%)

• Gender equality (significant objective)
• Environmental sustainability (cross-cutting) (not targeted)
• Participatory development and good governance (significant objective)
• Trade development (not targeted)
• Biodiversity (not targeted)
• Climate change mitigation (not targeted)
• Climate Change Adaptation (not targeted)
• Urban issues (not targeted)
• Desertification (not targeted)
• Children's issues (not targeted)
• Youth Issues (principal objective)
• Indigenous Issues (not targeted)
• Disability (not targeted)
• ICT as a tool for development (significant objective)

The project aims to increase the economic power of young adults, particularly women living in the most disadvantaged regions of Tunisia. The project activities include: 1) support the Higher Institutes of Technological Studies (ISET) in the development of training program according to the competency-based approach in the sectors of maintenance of agricultural machinery, ecotourism, renewable energies and agrifood; 2) the establishment of a Business Relations Office, including a student placement service and a graduate monitoring service; 3) support the ISET network in the development and implementation of the gender equality strategy promoting the training and employability of female graduates; 4) provide technical and pedagogical training to women and men working as teachers or directors within the ISET network. The project plans to directly benefit 1200 graduates (45% women), 40 professors and 175 management staff within the ISET network, and professionals from various targeted ministries. The project also expects to indirectly benefit 27,745 graduates and their families for a total of about 110,000 people (50% women).

The expected results of this project include: (1) better matching of training provision with the employment needs of young women and men; and (2) improvement of equity and equal employment opportunities for women with higher education degrees.

Results achieved as of March 2024 include: (1) increased rate of young Tunisian graduates with a positive perception of their quality of life and economic prospects from 16.5% to 20%, 26% amongst women respondents; (2) increased the average and medium monthly salary of graduates from 683 and 812 dinar to 850 and 813 dinar; (3) increased employment rate of graduates from 11.4% to 20%; (4) trained 41 teachers in improved academic techniques; 90% of them demonstrated new skills; (5) 100% of surveyed employers reported the Technical and vocational education and training (TVET) provided to students was relevant to their enterprise and sector; (6) partnered with 45 companies and public bodies; (7) assisted 10 graduates (13% women) to become entrepreneurs of their small business; (8) 95% of employers reported having a positive assessment of graduates’ employability; (9) 68% of targeted students graduated, with 71% for women students; (10) held an ecotourism forum and provided capacity-building to 41 participants (18 women); (11) trained 810 academic personnel on improved technical and academic support for the competency-based approach; (12) organized multiple visits to Canada to encourage knowledge-sharing and foster networks between participating Canadian and Tunisian academic institutions; (13) provided 139 students (134 women) with individual professional coaching and mentoring; (14) trained 1,248 students on feminist entrepreneurial topics; (15) facilitated the signing of 37 agreements between Tunisian academic institutions and enterprises, entrepreneurial associations and public organizations to better align academic curriculums with industry needs; (16) held 17 sessions on gender-responsive academic approaches, attended by 690 participants (386 women); (17) trained 57 directors on women’s leadership; (18) held 26 awareness-raising activities on gender equality and women’s economic empowerment and employment; and (19) facilitated the signing of 28 agreements between Institutions of higher technical education (ISET) and women groups.

• Proactive disclosure