The public-private alliance - a model gradually gaining ground in the agri-food sector

Labour market insertion
06.05.2022
36 young people undergoing continuous training at the El Alia vocational training centre for agriculture, one of the 40 centres of the Agency for Extension and Vocational Training (AVFA), signed an employment contract on 5 May 2022 with Flor'Alia, a subsidiary of the SanLucar Group in the governorate of Bizerte in the North East of Tunisia. The ceremony took place in the presence of the ministers in charge of agriculture and vocational training respectively, the representative of the Swiss embassy, and senior officials of SanLucar.

This first round of recruitment is part of an agreement between the El Alia Centre and Flor'Alia, one of the world leaders in the production of red fruit for export, whose recruitment needs in the context of its expansion policy are estimated at 200 people per year. 

The aim of the agreement is manifold: 

  • to enable the trainees to improve their practical skills through immersion in the real production conditions of the Flor'Alia company, 
  • which allows the company to have qualified personnel, initiated into its production processes and methods and, therefore, immediately operational, 
  • but also to enable the El Alia centre to strengthen its openness to its professional environment.

This mutually beneficial public-private partnership model was identified and developed in consultation with the parties concerned within the framework of the project "Practical training in agricultural training centres", one of the mechanisms of the Takween programme, implemented by Swisscontact under the aegis of the Tunisian Ministry of Employment and Vocational Training, and financed by the Swiss Agency for Development and Cooperation (SDC).

This model of public-private partnership has already proven useful, as shown by the recruitment of graduates from the Zerkine Centre (Gabes) by the Cinquième Saison, a pioneering subsidiary of the SanLucar Group.

Prospects for the labour market
Over the nine years of implementation of the Programme for Vocational Education and Training in Tunisia, the improved employability of young vocational college graduates has been one of its key objectives.
2021 - 2026
Tunisia
Initial vocational education and training, Labour market insertion
Takween - a skills development programme in Tunisia 
The Takween programme is the continuation of the "Formation et Intégration Professionnelles en Tunisie" (PFIPT) programme, which was led by the Swiss Agency for Development and Cooperation (SDC) from 2012 to 2021 and implemented by Swisscontact under the auspices of the Ministry of Employment and Vocational Training.