The project is being implemented under the mandate entitled “Formation et Insertion des jeunes au Tchad” (FORMI) for the Directorate for Development and Cooperation (SDC) of the Swiss Department of Foreign Affairs and is in four phases to be implemented over a period of twelve years. The completed implementation phase (2017-2019) is seamlessly followed by the first implementation phase (2019 - 2023).
Caritas Switzerland is implementing this project within a consortium, jointly with Swisscontact. The latter has many years of experience in the area of training and professional integration of young people and adults. Caritas Switzerland will contribute its expertise in the field of food security and markets, since the project focus is on vocational training in the area of agricultural and small-scale industry.
The aim of the project is to improve the access of adolescents and young adults to fair and diversified training courses, at the same time improving the training quality. The educational offerings are to be focussed more on the job market (relevance), and public and private actors should be strengthened in their work with the young people. Finally, it is also important to create access to vocational guidance and financial and non-financial services to support the integration of the young people into the job market.
In the planning phase, studies were carried out to determine the relevant actors, the locally important occupational fields and their potential for the development of training modules, as well as a study of the training courses that are currently in demand in actual practice. In addition, an in-depth inventory was compiled of the Chad training system, professional integration, and the economy, both at national level and in the regions of Moyen-Chari, Mandoul and Logone-Orientale; also, the first basic training and further training courses were launched. There is also a platform under construction for those active in the training sphere. The experience gained flows into the implementation of the further phases.
The first implementation phase provides for the development of job-specific training programmes, as well as measures for an accompanied entry into the job market for young men and women. This includes, for example, the introduction of an agricultural training system. Existing programmes are being extended and developed to incorporate further project areas, whereby the integration of various actors into the state vocational training system is supported. Regarding the job search by young adults, structural improvements through counselling, strong efforts are being made to achieve an intensified exchange between employers and employees and an improved course programme. In addition to private actors, public institutions also offer training programmes. The programmes are tailored to the demands of the economy, reinforce independence and reduce poverty among the young population.
The project also benefits from synergies with other Caritas Switzerland projects, which are also being implemented in Chad and, in some cases, even in the same provinces. One of these projects is the SDC mandate "Soutien au développement des filières karité et arachide au Tchad" (short: SODEFIKA; 2015 - 2027) on food security and markets; and another project, funded by the European Union, aims at a sustainable improvement of the living conditions of the indigenous population and of displaced persons (2018 – 2021). All of Caritas Switzerland's projects in Chad are implemented in close cooperation with the Government, various local partner organizations (some of which associations have already lasted many years), and actors from the private sector.