Tunisia’s economic situation is challenging. Youth unemployment is running at 35 per cent, and around 30 per cent of all university graduates in this North African country are out of work, despite skills gaps in many sectors. Consequently, many Tunisians move away from home in search of work. Tunisia is one of the many countries in which GIZ is working to improve long-term employment prospects.

Training in the textile industry

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One of these projects involving the Tunisian company Sartex aims to train young people in textiles processing. In the coastal region around Monastir, the country’s textiles hub, GIZ has helped to set up a modern training centre.

Here young people can learn the tools of the trade under good working conditions with qualified trainers. Over 300 young Tunisians have gone through training at the centre so far, and now have better prospects for the future.

Training in drywall construction

One particular project involves vocational training in drywall construction, a technique that is not so well known here. Together with GIZ, the German company Knauf has set up a training centre in the economically underdeveloped region of Meknassy in a bid to offer young people new job prospects.

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Training here gives them the chance to stay in their home region and work in an upwardly mobile industry while at the same time fostering regional growth.

On behalf of the German Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development (BMZ) and in cooperation with business and civil society, GIZ is assisting young people in Tunisia to build up their long-term career prospects. Work focuses on making those jobs with high employment potential more attractive and on aligning basic and further training with the needs of business and industry. It also promotes start-ups.

With support from GIZ and its partners, almost half a million people in North Africa and the Middle East found work between 2010 and 2015.

© GIZ