Project profile — Durable Integration of Agropastoral Graduates

The project aims to increase the economic prosperity of the people of Benin, Haiti and Mali, through skills for employment program development. This project aims to strengthen educational institutes’ capacities in teaching administrative, financial and curriculum management; training agriculture and livestock professionals; youth, women and men professional integration through small and medium business development; food security; and sustainable economic and agriculture development. Project activities include: (1) capacity building activities for educational institutes in the fields of agriculture and livestock, in each of the target countries, as well as building ministerial capacities to support and monitor these institutes; (2) contributions in improving skills for employment programs by ensuring they adequately respond to the needs of the employment market; and provide orientation mechanisms that support the professional integration of youth, women and men in particular; and (3) create consultation mechanisms between the private sector and educational institutes to promote access to internships and the professional integration of graduates.

The expected outcomes for this project include: (1) educational institutes with stronger organisational management capacities in providing skills for employment in developing countries that are members of La Francophonie; (2) skills for employment program delivery improvement by integrating environmental concerns and responding to different needs of the employment or entrepreneurial markets for youth, women, men and vulnerable group members; and (3) stronger sustainable collaboration between skills for employment educational institutes and private sector companies in member countries of La Francophonie.

Results achieved as of the end of the project (July 2021) include: in Benin, (1) more than 43 (against a target of 21) organizational management strengthening measures have been adopted, leading to 100% satisfaction in management among managers and teachers; (2) six (against a target of four) courses in line with the job market took place, and all targets related to program satisfaction and graduated students starting businesses were met and exceeded; and (3) 98 (against a target of 70) long-lasting partnerships established between private companies and educational institutions, with 845 graduates benefiting from private sector support; in Haiti, (1) completed capacity building for partner institutions, leading to better organizational management. Began work on a database to follow-up with learners who attended the centres; (2) developed the agricultural technique and modular programs with the support of Boreal College. These programs equipped 435 young people with integration kits to design business plans and help them search for funding; and (3) 30 (against a target of 25) sustainable partnerships established between private companies and educational institutions. These partnerships consolidated knowledge and encouraged entrepreneurship for over 600 graduates; in Mali, (1) improved training resources and support for young students throughout their schooling. Contact persons of the responsible government departments have begun annual visits to analyze difficulties firsthand and provide solutions; (2) reviewed training programs using a competency-based approach. This led to the integration of 607 young people into the labour market, of whom 510 have started businesses; and (3) developed 26 partnerships between establishments and companies, benefiting 700 interns and raising the gender ratio to 41.57% women.