Libya and Tunisia agreed to develop cooperation in the field of training and vocational training, by transferring Tunisian expertise to Libya in the areas needed by the Libyan labour market.
The news came out of the meeting of the Libyan-Tunisian Joint Technical Committee held in Tripoli yesterday, headed by the Tripoli based Libyan Minister of Labour and Rehabilitation, Ali Al-Abed, the Tunisian Minister of Employment and Vocational Training, Riad Choud, and their respective delegations.
The committee, according to the official Libyan state news agency LANA, discussed the memorandum of understanding signed between the two countries in the field of training and vocational training, and ways to develop and add annexes to it, especially with regard to electronic connectivity, training of trainers and the transfer of Tunisian expertise in the field of vocational training to Libya.
Disappearance of Libyan vocational training centres
Minister of Labour and Rehabilitation Ali al-Abed said in a joint press conference with his Tunisian counterpart after the meeting that Libya is witnessing a large gap in the labour market, after training centers have shrunk significantly in recent years.
13 new vocational training centres established
He added that the ministry has established 13 specialized vocational training centres in various Libyan regions, such as Kufra, Ghat, Ghadames, Sabha, Houn, Sirte, Tomina, Tarhuna, Zuwara and Zintan, to meet the needs of the local labour market.
Too many university graduates – not enough vocational skills
The minister explained that the majority of graduates and job seekers in Libya are graduates of universities and higher institutes, and they need additional professional skills to enter the labour market effectively. Al-Abed stressed the importance of cooperation with Tunisia to re-establish vocational training in Libya, which will enable graduates to acquire the required craft skills, stressing the need to direct Libyan youth to engage in the private sector, which is witnessing rapid growth and achieving exports abroad, which requires new professional specializations.
Private sector needs skilled labour
He pointed out that the private sector has many industries and needs skilled manpower, especially in sectors such as oil, electricity and services, including tourism and food preparation and preservation.
e-recruitment of Tunisian skilled labour
He added that the committee touched on cooperation with Tunisia in recruiting skilled workers in various fields, especially in the oil, electricity and tourism sectors, and agreeing to settle the situation of Tunisian workers in Libya through official work contracts that guarantee their financial and legal rights. The co-operation also includes electronic linkage between the labour ministries in Libya and Tunisia to exchange labour data and identify the specialties required in the Libyan market, he said.
Tunisian trainers in fisheries, port operation and aircraft maintenance
With regard to vocational training, the minister referred to the development of new specialties in the fields of fisheries, port operation and aircraft maintenance, through training centres such as the Khoms Fishing Centre, the Tomina Centre for Training Port Workers and the Tarhuna Aircraft Maintenance Training Centre. He stressed the need to send trainers from Tunisia to establish these centres and prepare Libyan youth to enter the labour market with high efficiency.
Transforming previous agreements into concrete implementation plans
For his part, Tunisian Minister of Employment and Vocational Training Riad Choud pointed out that the aim of the cooperation is to transform previous agreements into concrete implementation plans, stressing that Tunisia has great experience in the fields of vocational training. He added that the Tunisian centers will contribute to meeting the needs of the Libyan labour market by training specialized workers in the fishing and air transport sectors, as well as providing technical support in the fields of aircraft equipment, transport and logistics.
According to the Ministry of Labour, these steps come within the framework of strengthening economic and social cooperation between Libya and Tunisia, which contributes to improving labour and employment indicators in the two countries.
The Tunisian Minister of Employment began on Sunday a working visit to Libya that includes field activities and joint meetings with the aim of activating these agreements and starting the implementation of training programmes to meet the needs of the Libyan labour market.
