Faya – 111 students, including 42 girls, graduated this week from the International Organization for Migration’s (IOM) flagship Technical Vocational Training Programme (TVET) in Northern Chad. The graduation marks the end of 6 months of training in computer skills, car mechanics, electrical maintenance including solar energy installation, tailoring and literacy, and opens new doors for youths for a brighter future.

In her opening remarks during the graduation ceremony, Mrs. Nodjigoto A. Damaris, Secretary General of the Ministry of Professional Training and Employment thanked IOM’s continuous investment in youth professional development and encouraged the graduates to harness their newly acquired skills to face the challenges ahead of them. “The real success of socio-professional insertion now rests on your shoulders. I applaud your commitment throughout the courses and wish you great success as pioneers of this programme”, she said. Each of the graduating youth will also receive a career starter kit including tools and resources they need to set-up their own businesses.

Launched in 2020 with the support of the Federal Republic of Germany and the UN Peacebuilding Fund, the TVET programme implemented by IOM has been catalytic in transforming youths’ lives in Northern Chad. The programme provides unemployed youth with opportunities to upskill and reintegrate the labour market through specialized short-term courses. “Youth have extraordinary potential and we are happy to partner with the Government of Chad in activating this potential which will be key for local and national development”, said Anne Kathrin Schaefer, the IOM Chief of Mission in Chad.

In Chad, one of the least developed countries in the world, fast demographic growth and a persistent economic crisis have negatively impacted the education of youth and their integration into the labour market, especially in rural areas. The Borkou, Ennedi-West and Tibesti provinces located in the north of the country record some of the lowest human development indicators resulting in part from a limited offer in academic, technical, and vocational training opportunities for local youths. Only one vocational training centre located in the city of Faya, serves the three provinces which have no higher education institutions.

Consequently, the three provinces frequently rank high on unemployment and underemployment rates among youths, who, for lack of alternatives sometimes drop out of school and decide to migrate – often through irregular routes – towards Libya or even Europe where they hope to find decent employment. “The labour market, which relies heavily on the informal sector, is currently unable to absorb the growing number of low-skilled young people, hence the need to provide upskilling opportunities to youth to increase their chances at securing or creating a job, and thus building a stable future”, explains IOM’s Anne Schaefer.

As part of the TVET programme, IOM rehabilitated and equipped the Faya Technical and Vocational Training Centre to make it a functional learning space for youths. In addition to rebuilding the centre’s infrastructure, IOM supported the recruitment of 7 teachers and donated 40 sewing machines, 2 embroidery machines, 10 computers, and various equipment for mechanics, electricity, and carpentry training to the centre.

For more information, please contact François-Xavier Ada-Affana, Communications Officer. Email: fadaaffana@iom.int.