HIBAPRESS – Rabat
Younes Skouri, Minister of Economic Inclusion, Small Business, Employment and Skills, confirmed that disbursing the vocational training trainees' grant is "the bare minimum," stressing that the ministry is working diligently to improve the grant system and expand its scope of beneficiaries.
The Minister explained, during his presentation before the Social Sectors Committee in the House of Representatives, that the challenges faced in disbursing the grant were not primarily technical but organizational, which necessitated a structural intervention to correct the course. Skouri added that the solution was to withdraw the management of the grant from the Office of Vocational Training and Job Promotion (OFPPT) and assign it directly to the Ministry, while opening a discussion with "Al Barid Bank" to facilitate the trainees' benefit from the grant through a bank card. Skouri pointed out that disbursing the grant on time should be a basic commitment, saying: "Some believe that this is normal, but the reality is different." The Minister also revealed that the Ministry currently has a budget that allows for the disbursement of grants to approximately 40,000 trainees in vocational training programs, with work underway to distribute additional grants in the coming years. Skouri affirmed that the goal is to reach a stage of temporal discipline in disbursing the grants and ensuring their inclusion for the largest number of beneficiaries, within a comprehensive vision aimed at supporting vocational training and promoting the economic integration of youth.
