Global Arab Network | Algeria, EU enhancing professional training services

Translate this article to your language:

GANPublications

e-Publications

Add Site to Favorites

Add Page to Favorites

Make Homepage

Share This Page

RSS Feed

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
| |

Algeria, EU enhancing professional training services

Eurojar

Sunday, 20 June 2010 12:03

Development of training programmes and institutional support were mainly the focus of the European programme for professional training in Algeria. The workload is considerable but the expectations are even higher.

109 million Euros were needed to fund the development of professional training in Algeria. 60 million of the overall budget was donated by the European Union, and the remaining 49 million were paid by the Algerian government. In fact, the EU contribution is considered the highest for this sector in the entire Mediterranean region. This initiative comes in the framework of the reforms launched by the Algerian government aiming at enhancing professional training services. However, due to the multiple difficulties that the ambitious programme faced, the EU support was decreased to 45 million Euros, reducing by this the global budget to 94 million Euros.

Professional training reforms
It is worth noting that the Algerian government is interested in professional training for the positive consequences it has on the labor market. In fact, Algeria made a huge progress in the subject and became capable of competing with European countries, namely in the number of training centers, of trainers and trainees. Yet, the main problem resides in the inappropriate management of the sector. This is why the positive effects of professional training on the labor market and on the country’s economy were not as expected.

In the framework of projects funded by the EU, the reforms launched by the Algerian government aim at promoting the sector of professional training in an effort to produce new competences that support both enterprises and the labor market.

Around 80 enterprises from the public sector benefited from the modernization of their human resource management. A total budget of 1.4 million Euros was allocated for this purpose. The work strategy consisted of a field intervention in enterprises to analyze and master their needs and recommend the appropriate training actions. As for the employees benefiting from the project, they were accompanied for a period of two years. The action consisted of an in-depth work, notes Judad Belkassem, chief of unit at the “support programme for professional training reforms in Algeria”. After three years of action, more than 4000 employees should have benefited from the project. On the other hand, a special training was organized for middle management employees in enterprises. Engineers, for instance, were able to update their scientific and technological knowledge. This, according to the coordinators of the project, should have a positive impact on the work of 80,000 employees in the concerned public sector enterprises.

Institutional support
The second component of the project consisted in creating an Observatory on employment and professional training under the professional training orientation law. Its role consisted in detecting and listing the needs of the labor market to facilitate the conception of a national training policy and define the required competences on the labor market, in quality and quantity. Launched in 2001, this Observatory should boost the efforts of all the authorities concerned by professional training, precisely, the National Agency of Employment, the Center for study and research on occupations and qualifications (CERPEQ), which is a centre of proficiency, expertise and counseling in the field of human resources.

The third component of the project consisted in the re-organization of the National fund for the development of training and lifelong learning (FNAC). It is a national organism created in the 90s and in charge of the management of financial resources collected from taxes dedicated to education and continuous training. These constitute 1% of enterprises’ profits; they are then redistributed to fund training activities. Yet, since its establishment, FNAC had a limited effect in this matter. This is why the Fund needs to be restructured, in an effort to sensitize enterprises to professional training. The National Institute for the Development and Promotion of Continuing Education (INDEFOC) also benefited from the support aiming at enhancing the methods and contents of training programs, as well as the evaluation and control techniques.

In this context, three major actions were anticipated: first, the implementation of training sessions targeting 5000 trainers (out of the 13,000 present in Algeria), in the framework of the plan for “reinforcement of trainers’ capacities and the modernization of human resources management”; second, the conception of new professional training techniques; and third, the support to the development of training in key sectors to establish the link between training and the economy’s dynamics. However, some administrative obstacles hindered the progress of the project and not all the objectives were met, precisely, the support to the private sector. This is considered an important matter, according to Judad Belkassem, since it is directly linked to the country’s future prosperity. In fact, Algeria benefits from a solid professional training system; what it lacks is only technical support to optimize the efficiency of the sector.

Global Arab Network

By Bassma Karrasha - Algiers, Eurojar

Add comment

The opinions of the authors in articles published are theirs alone and do not necessarily reflect the views of Global Arab Network
------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Published comments are the opinions of private individuals and do not reflect the views of Global Arab Network