Fit for the labour market –
in our partner countries
and in Germany

To ensure that both local economic development and a fair system of skilled labour migration to Germany succeed, we need strong partnerships – with companies and policy-makers, in our partner countries and in Germany. In Senegal, several projects are pulling together to make this happen.

When Djélia Diagne heard about the mentoring programme for women in the construction sector, her mind was quickly made up: the construction engineer from Senegal was very eager to take part. "There’s still a lot to do to achieve gender equality in this sector," says the 33-year-old. That is why she was keen to accept GIZ’s offer to mentor other women in the traditionally male-dominated industry as part of the Build4Skills project. She has also benefited from it herself: "The mentoring programme has helped me improve my relationships with male colleagues." The construction engineer now feels encouraged to pursue her wish to "be successful and take on positions of responsibility".

Motivated and qualified skilled workers like Djélia Diagne safeguard innovation, employment and prosperity and can therefore benefit not only Senegal but also Germany. Due to current demographic trends in Germany, a shortage of skilled workers is one of the biggest challenges the country will face in the coming decade. Jobs in the health sector, teaching, education, production and construction will be most affected. Demand is so high that it cannot be met by national initiatives alone. Motivated individuals from other countries, like Djélia Diagne, are an asset for German companies.

Senegal – land of growth

With an average age of 19 years, Africa is the world’s ‘youngest’ continent. To keep pace with demographic development and drive innovation, countries like Senegal are investing in better education and training systems. Senegal is one of the fastest-growing economies in Africa thanks to its political stability and development-oriented reform policy.

Qualified skilled workers are a key requirement for economic growth and investment.

Group photo with Djélia Diagne (in profile on the left) talking to five young women in hard hats and high-visibility vests on a construction site.
As a mentor, Djélia Diagne supports women looking to establish a foothold in the construction industry.

Practical experience in construction with Build4Skills

Senegal is a fast-growing country. However, only a handful of the approximately 300,000 young people who enter the Senegalese job market every year have training that aligns with private-sector needs. Those with vocational training or university diplomas often lack practical skills, while young people from the informal sector have too little theoretical knowledge.

The Build4Skills global initiative, which is implemented by GIZ and the European Union (EU) together with partners, aims to close training gaps in the particularly labour-intensive construction sector. In Senegal, Build4Skills arranges internships for school leavers and graduates in infrastructure projects financed by the African Development Bank (AfDB), the World Bank and other regional development banks. As part of Build4Skills, trainers are taught how to impart theoretical knowledge in a practical way, learn about occupational health and safety and gender awareness, and support entry-level workers throughout their internships. Women in construction are also supported by female mentors such as construction engineer Djélia Diagne. The initiative is modelled on a training partnership with the Asian Development Bank (ADB) in Pakistan and Mongolia. Build4Skills has been active in Africa since 2022.

Build4Skills

Commissioned by
German Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development (BMZ) and the European Union
Location
Colombia, Kenya, Mexico, Mongolia, Pakistan, Senegal, South Africa
Term
2021 to 2027
More information

Support for the reform of TVET/FIT! Senegal initiative

Commissioned by
German Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development (BMZ) and the European Union
Location
Senegal
Term
2024 to 2027
More information

Better opportunities with comparable qualifications

Senegal has committed to increasing the number of young people who successfully complete technical and vocational education and training (TVET) from 10 per cent in 2022 to 30 per cent in 2030. To achieve this, it plans to introduce a dual system that – similar to the system in Germany – combines school-based and company-based training.

GIZ provides state actors in Senegal with guidance on realigning TVET institutions and courses and on training for trainers. We also support efforts to involve chambers of commerce and industry, employer and industry associations and trade unions more closely in the education and training system, enabling businesses to become training establishments. The advantage: young people receive a better quality of training and are more employable, and companies can find better qualified staff on the labour market to meet their needs.

Profile picture of Aïssatou Ndiaye.

"The dual training system gives us the chance to revise school-based training content, enabling us to respond more effectively to business needs."

Aïssatou Ndiaye

trainer, Saint-Louis vocational training centre
Photo: © GIZ/AD agency

Profile picture of Paul Sow.

"I really enjoyed and learned a lot from the dual training. I can use the qualification to find a job as a cook."

Paul Sow

trainee cook and vocational training ambassador, Saint-Louis region

Photo: © GIZ / Aldi Diasse

Picture of an apprentice in Elisabeth Preira´s company learning how to process food
A trainee in Elisabeth Preira’s company learns how to process food.

Germany’s TVET model is internationally renowned. The dual concept has been embraced by employers in Senegal: "Young trainees spend more time gaining practical experience in the company than they do on theoretical learning. This allows them to grasp the fundamentals of their profession much more quickly," says Elisabeth Preira, who founded her own food processing business in the city of Ziguinchor. Her trainee, Abdoulaye Sané, initially went to study in the capital Dakar after completing his school education. But he was drawn back to the south of Senegal. That is where he learned about the possibility of dual training and was won over by the focus on practical elements. "Here in this region, we also have many varieties of fruit and vegetable for processing," he says, looking ahead to future work opportunities.

Learning with a focus on the Youth Olympic Games

In 2026, Senegal will be the first African country to host the Youth Olympic Games. Ahead of the big event, Senegalese and European partners have joined forces as part of the FIT! Senegal initiative to create more job opportunities for young people. With this coordinated approach, Team Europe aims to bring about an overall improvement in employment prospects for young people in Senegal.

Numerous projects involving GIZ make an active contribution here. They work at various levels, connecting seamlessly like a value chain. For example, those working to reform TVET as part of FIT! Senegal benefit from the structures put in place by BMZ’s Decent Work for a Just Transition special initiative, which aims to create jobs in small and medium-sized enterprises and support investors in Africa. This special initiative is implemented with support from GIZ and promotes training opportunities for workers in Senegal. To achieve this goal, we are building training partnerships with German business associations, chambers of commerce and industry, universities and other educational institutions.

In Diourbel, a hub of the Senegalese leather industry, joint efforts have been made to standardise training courses and develop teaching materials. Through the special initiative, a training partnership has also been established between Senegal’s Maraz Academy, which specialises in leather products, and ISC Germany, a leather institute based in the town of Pirmasens in the western German region of Rhineland-Palatinate.

The team behind the special initiative has a well-established network of contacts in the Senegalese business sector and helps to open doors for other projects. As a result, many of the companies in the special initiative’s network are now training establishments within the dual system.

One team, more impact

The FIT! Senegal initiative is an example of increased European coordination of international cooperation among EU member states. As Team Europe, the European Commission, EU member states and EU financial institutions act together, coordinating projects for maximum impact.

More information
7,000
Graphic: Three differently drawn people
employees have improved their working conditions and income through the special initiative.

3 questions for Diegane Wane Ly

Profile picture of Diegane Wane Ly.

"The dual training system is ideal."

Diegane Wane Ly

coordinator for the dual training system in Senegal at the Senegalese Ministry of Vocational Education and Training

Photo: © PF2E/Ministère de la Formation Professionnelle et Technique (MFPT)

Diegane Wane Ly is responsible for coordinating the government programme on the introduction of the dual training system in Senegal at the Senegalese Ministry of Vocational Education and Training.

How important is the reform of TVET for Senegal?

Well-trained skilled workers are essential for our country’s economic growth. But our education and training system has shortcomings that need to be addressed. Investing in the education and training of young people is therefore one of the key elements of our national development strategy for the period up to 2050.

Senegal plans to make greater use of the dual system in future. What advantages does this type of TVET offer young trainees and companies?

The dual training system will play a pivotal role in the reform of the TVET system in our country. Under the dual system, trainees spend a lot of time at their training companies and therefore acquire the necessary practical skills much more quickly. They also gain an insight into workplace procedures and daily work life. After completing their training, they are ready to start work straight away. Companies therefore gain a fully qualified skilled worker. Training companies also have the opportunity to train the next generation of employees themselves and shape their future workforce. It’s ideal.

How important is the collaboration with Germany and GIZ?

The support we receive from Germany in reforming our TVET system is very important for Senegal. The cooperation with GIZ specifically offers advantages at multiple levels, ranging from strategic advice on coordinating the reform to technical advice on implementation. It is particularly helpful that GIZ supports the government programme for the introduction of the dual training system in the individual regions of the country and has contacts there. This allows us to dovetail individual activities and roll out the reform nationwide.

The opportunities provided by the special initiative are aimed at investors and established businesses. In cooperation with the Senegalese trade union SYNPAN, for example, semi-skilled workers in small auto repair shops are given the opportunity to train as mechatronics technicians.

Fair migration of skilled workers

As the number of well-trained skilled workers increases, so too do opportunities for economic growth in Senegal – and employment opportunities for young people. But creating jobs remains a challenge. More than 30 per cent of the 15–24 age group in Senegal are neither employed, nor in education nor enrolled in a training institution. The country therefore also has an interest in facilitating labour and training migration to countries where skilled workers are in short supply.

To ensure fair conditions for labour migration, Senegal has been part of the Skills Partnerships between Ghana, Senegal and Germany project since 2024.

On the one hand, this project aims to improve education and training in people’s home countries. At the same time, participants have the option of continuing their training in Germany or embarking on a new training course there. In addition, Senegalese skilled workers with professional experience are given the opportunity to transition straight into the German labour market. This is a good way to relieve pressure on specific industries in Senegal. The project also addresses the shortage of young professionals and skilled workers in Germany by connecting businesses with staff shortages with Senegalese applicants. The focus is on small and medium-sized enterprises in the construction industry that are open to gaining initial experience with young professionals and skilled workers from abroad.

Skills Partnerships between Ghana, Senegal and Germany

Commissioned by
European Union, with cofinancing from the Bertelsmann Stiftung and employers in Germany
Location
Germany, Ghana, Senegal
Term
2023 to 2027

Skilled workers for Germany

GIZ is committed to ensuring the fair migration of skilled workers. We guarantee good working conditions for employees and take care to prevent any labour shortages in their home countries. Employers in Germany benefit too because workers who have been placed fairly feel respected and stay with the company for longer.

Profile picture of Heinz G. Rittmann.

"With GIZ, we have found a partner who is well connected at the local level. This allows us to develop a long-term, sustainable solution to the shortage of trainees and skilled workers – with fair costs for all involved."

Heinz G. Rittmann

Deputy CEO, Bauverbände NRW

Photo: © privat

The Skills Partnerships project explores regular pathways for training and employment in Germany and shows German companies how they can benefit from trainees and skilled workers from Senegal. For instance, it is working with the FIT! Senegal initiative to develop a new training course on road construction. This addresses the requirements of Senegalese construction firms on the one hand, but also incorporates many elements of German training, making it easier for candidates to transition to the German labour market at a later date. The project also offers participants German language courses at the Goethe-Institut, intercultural preparation and assistance with travel arrangements such as visa procedures. The first 24 Senegalese candidates are currently preparing to embark on their training in the construction industry in the German state of North Rhine-Westphalia.

The employer association Bauverbände NRW was involved from the outset as a partner in the planning process. With this approach, we ensure that all stakeholders – young trainees, employers in Germany, and Senegal itself, which is able to reduce pressure on its labour market – benefit from better training or job opportunities in Senegal or Germany.

More information

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