Morocco, France agree to cooperate in youth training

Morocco and France signed in Rabat on Thursday an agreement providing for cooperation in youth professional training and a joint declaration in employment, vocational training, labor and social development.

The two documents were initialed by Morocco's minister of employment, vocational training, social development and solidarity, Abbas El Fassi, and visiting French employment and solidarity minister, Elizabeth Guigou.

Under the first agreement, Morocco and France will exchange young professionals who will undertake a paid training period in a social, health or educational institution or farming, handicraft, industrial or trade enterprise.

The joint declaration deals with the enforcement of a 2001 cooperation program. As part of this 2001 cooperation program, a group of 200 Moroccans will undertake a training and information mission in France which, in turn, will send 100 experts to Morocco.

The two countries will also cooperate in the evaluation and management of pluri-annual and integrated projects with the aim of optimizing resources use and increasing chances of success. As for coming cooperation fields, the new information technologies sector was identified as a priority sector, together with the conversion of workers, training of school dropouts and promoting remote-education programs for Morocco.

The French minister, who paid this May 23-25 a visit to Morocco, met with premier, Abderrahmane Youssoufi, and other members of the government. She also met officials from the Moroccan association of help to children in precarious situation.