In support of the Moroccan Government's efforts to improve road safety, and in order to help meet this specific need, a Safety Truck Driving Academy (ACCES) was inaugurated on 9 April 2018 at the Institut Spécialisé dans les Métiers de Transport Routier (ISMTR) Casablanca under the OFPPT network.
The project partners participated in the ceremony, including Ms Loubna Tricha, Director General of the Office of Vocational Training and Labor Promotion (OFPPT), Ms Dana Mansuri, Mission Director of the American Agency for International Development (USAID) in Morocco, Mr. Johan Reiman, CSR Project Manager within the Group Volvo as well as Ms Virpi Stucki, Industrial Development Officer at the United Nations Industrial Development Organization (UNIDO), and M. Abdelilah HIFDI, President of the Transport Federation (FT-CGEM).
The project, which will last four years, aims to train approximately 500 young Moroccan professional drivers and drivers in defensive, economical and environmentally friendly driving of different types of trucks and buses. By offering state-of-the-art equipment, a specialized training programme, and trainers benefiting from technical and pedagogical training, this new Academy will support the employability of young people in the road transport sector, while contributing to reducing the latter's environmental impact.
On this point, Ms Loubna Tricha, Director General IP of the OFPPT, reaffirmed the OFPPT's commitment to support all public and private initiatives aimed at enhancing the employability of young people and the skills of professional drivers in safe driving. "This public-private partnership represents a new opportunity to put our institution's expertise at the service of a major national cause, namely road safety. Combining theoretical and practical modules, the Academy's training programme ACCES will also integrate transversal skills such as professional communication and customer service initiation, and will focus on driving on the road. Beneficiaries will also have access to integration services to facilitate the development of their professional project and their integration into the labour market.
"This training will reduce the number of road accidents in Morocco, and Volvo is proud to support the Government of Morocco in this initiative," said Johan Reiman, representing the Volvo Group. "By training the local workforce, we can also contribute to the sustainable economic growth of the countries in which the Volvo Group operates. "»
In her speech, Dana Mansuri, USAID Morocco's Mission Director, stressed the importance of partnering with both the public and private sectors to create solutions to important challenges, such as road safety and youth employability. "I am pleased to witness once again the successful union of the efforts of the Moroccan government and the private sector. They do not hesitate to get involved, innovate and combine their resources and expertise in order to support young people in the face of socio-economic challenges."
The ACCES project is the result of a public-private development partnership between the Government of the Kingdom of Morocco, USAID, the Volvo Group, and UNIDO. It represents the second partnership between these four partners in Morocco, which aims to offer young people skills that strengthen their ability to enter the labour market. The first of its kind consisted in the establishment of the Academy of Heavy Machinery and Commercial Vehicles (AGEVEC) within the Mohammed VI Institute for Training in Building and Public Works, in Settat
