Organized with the Ministry of Employment, Vocational Training and Craft (MEFPA) as well as the Ministry of Industrial Development and Small and Medium-sized Industries (MDIPMI) of Senegal, this event was an opportunity to discuss important topics such as Industry 4.0 and the future of skills, Public Private Partnerships in the VET sector, how to share relevant tools and solutions, daily management of vocational training centers, renewed apprenticeship, key performance indicators, job insertion, statistics and surveys.

Demand driven vocational training is one of the key ingredients for inclusive and sustainable industrial development, said Christophe Yvetot, UNIDO’s representative in Senegal. Having the workshop in Senegal is timely given the country’s rapid industrialization rate. The workshop outcomes are also well aligned with UNIDO’s Programme for Country Partnership, which mobilizes development partners, UN agencies, financial institutions and the business sector ─ under the leadership and ownership of the government ─ to advance inclusive and sustainable industrial development.

The workshop was very useful for me as the private sector representative since it gave the opportunity to interact with public and development sector participants. I learned a lot about the vocational training sector in Senegal and globally, said Désiré Cedric from Bühler Group.

The past days have been all about putting public private partnerships in VET into practice through mutual learning, dialogue and networking. As a European Partnership, the VET Toolbox believes these collaborations are crucial tackling the VET challenges of today and the future, said Bartelijne van den Boogert, VET Toolbox Team Leader.

This 3 day-workshop benefited from the technical support provided by the European Commission through the VET Toolbox as well as LuxDev as one of the VET Toolbox implementing partners.

The VET Toolbox was launched to strengthen VET systems in developing countries. The facility supports labour market analysis and offers practical advice on reinforcing the links between VET and the private sector, thus making VET more effective and relevant.

UNIDO’s LKDF is a platform that promotes industrial skills development among young people in emerging economies. Working with the private sector through PPDPs, the LKDF supports the establishment and upgrading of local industrial training academies to help meet the labour market’s increasing demand for skilled employees, ultimately contributing to inclusive and sustainable industrial development.