Training and Qualification Centers for Handicrafts Trades

Delivering a new generation of integrated training centers

Within its approach to support sectoral strategies, the Foundation has chosen handicrafts as a target sector for the integration of disadvantaged young people. To this end, the Foundation has developed a specialized skills training program since 2009, based on apprenticeship and the transmission of master craftsmen’s know-how. This program relies on key structures: Training and qualification centers for handicraft trades (CQFMA).

CQFMA centers are designed around a social and economic approach that integrates various components of the handicraft ecosystem. They involve relevant local public and private entities, associations and craftsmen. The main purpose of these centers is to train young people from disadvantaged backgrounds. They also contribute to product development, marketing support and improving the socio-economic conditions of craftsmen.

The challenge for the Foundation is to create favorable conditions for the integration of young people, by enhancing the capacities of sector players (continued training of craftsmen, promotion of production, national and international cooperation, etc.). The Foundation has launched three regional facilities: Fez CQFMA (November 2009), Salé CQFMA (July 2012) and Marrakech CQFMA (November 2012).

Creating new generations of craftspeople and supporting entrepreneurship

CQFMAs impart specialized education to young people aged 15 to 30, supervised by master craftsmen in in-house and external environments. The two-year course combines technical and practical instruction. It runs for eleven months a year and covers twenty-two trades, which vary according to local sectors. After graduating, apprentices are often placed in the workshops of master craftsmen or in host companies.

The CQFMA program places particular emphasis on young apprentices with an entrepreneurial profile. Dedicated units encourage and provide technical support to young people who start projects during the process of creating their income-generating activities. These units also act as local relays for the “Integration through Economic Activity” Program. They provide guidance and support for two years to young entrepreneurs who benefit from managerial support and equipment financing.

For more information about the CQFMA