For the IECD, working in partnership with businesses is both a matter of course and a prerequisite for success. The integration of young people into the workforce can only be achieved through engagement with those who drive economic activity. This is why the IECD forges strategic partnerships with companies operating in growth sectors: agriculture, hospitality and catering, energy, industry, construction and transport. These collaborations transform CSR commitments into concrete actions, generating jobs for young people and economic development for countries. 

This relationship is based on a win-win approach. For companies, it strengthens social responsibility initiatives, helps to structure industry sectors, opens up new markets and facilitates access to better-trained candidates who are in touch with the realities on the ground and the needs of the professions.

For the IECD, this close relationship is essential: it enables training programmes to be grounded in the realities of the workplace, ensures that teaching content is aligned with the sectors’ current needs, and helps to develop skills directly linked to industry standards.

Collaborative development lies at the heart of the approach. In the southern Mediterranean countries, companies such as Bouygues Construction and Nexans are helping to introduce young people to technical trades. In Lebanon in particular, training programmes in electrical engineering and maintenance have been developed in direct collaboration with companies.

This momentum extends to access to employment. In Madagascar, the partnership with the Radisson Hotels Group is a concrete example of this: young people benefit from an immersive pre-employment work placement, with accommodation and a monthly allowance, thereby securing their path to employment. Particular attention is paid to the inclusion of young women in the hospitality sector.

In Tunisia, more than 70 partner companies are involved in
welcoming young people on work placements and end-of-course validation placements.

Finally, partner organisations also strengthen the IECD’s local teams through skills-based sponsorship: mentoring, technical support and – all of which promote a sustainable transfer of expertise.