Nexus Skills & Jobs For Youth: Boosting Economic Inclusion Of Women & Youth In Tunisia's Agricultural Sector

I. Context

The unemployment rate in Tunisia reached 16.2% in the first quarter of 2024, with 22% for women and 39.2% for youth. One of the main factors for unemployment is the skills mismatch, which is particularly evident in the agri-food sector, as private firms struggle to find technicians for specialized tasks like tree pruning and primary veterinary care. The levels of informal work are also high – out of 3.5 million employed workers in the country, 46 percent work informally. These informal workers are neither covered by medical insurance nor pension schemes. The proportion of workers being self-employed or owning a microenterprise is higher in the interior and southern regions than in the wealthier coastal areas.

Tunisia's agri-food sector remains an essential driver of economic growth and job creation. This sector still represents a crucial source of income and employment, especially in the interior and rural regions. One out of six jobs remain in the agri-food sector. Most of these jobs are informal and focus on producing crops, livestock, and other products derived from land and natural resources. The magnitude of entrepreneurship in the agri-food systems could be higher, limiting the potential for creating higher value and better-quality jobs. Furthermore, the average age of farmers is above 50 as agricultural activities attract few young people in rural areas. Nevertheless, the agri-food sector continues to represent a potential source of additional growth and employment, especially for youth and women.

II. The Nexus Project

The Nexus Skills and Jobs for Youth Project aims to enhance the economic inclusion of women and youth in Tunisia's agricultural sector. Nexus was launched in 2023 under the TRACE (Tunisian Rural and Agricultural Chains of Employment) Program, which is part of the Tunisia Economic Resilience & Inclusion (TERI) Umbrella Program 2.0. The Project supports the Agricultural Vocational Training Agency (AVFA)¹, the National Agency for Employment and Self-Employment (ANETI)², and the National Observatory for Employment and Qualifications (ONEQ)³. Through a partnership between the World Bank and the Netherlands, US$5 million has been mobilized to support the implementation of Nexus. The main objective of the Project is to create economic opportunities for youth and women in the agri-food sector by re-aligning the skills taught by agricultural vocational training programs with private sector needs.

Nexus is implementing five complementary and reinforcing activities. Firstly, it is supporting ONEQ to identify the most in-demand jobs and qualifications in the agri-food sector. Secondly, the Project is assisting ANETI to update the Tunisian Skills and Professions Repository (RTMC), particularly the work profiles related to the agri-food sector. Thirdly, Nexus is enhancing the information system interoperability among the Project’s partners to enable them to respond more effectively to job market demands. The fourth and largest activity is to support the modernization of AVFA Training Centers and their training curricula to facilitate partnerships with businesses. The modernization and partnerships will lead to the training of at least 1,000 young people, of which at least half will be women. A 70% placement rate is expected in agri-food businesses among the 1,000+ trainees. Finally, Nexus is also supporting the capacity building of AVFA, improving its governance, and enhancing partnerships with key stakeholders to ensure long-term sustainability.

III. Early Achievements

The Nexus Project facilitated a first public-private partnership in early 2024, leading to skills training and job placement for 294 youth and women. Hicha Joy – a private agri-food company specializing in cherry tomato production – is expanding in the governorate of Gabès and aims to recruit 450+ formal workers to meet its growing operational demands. Nexus facilitated the partnership between AVFA and Hicha Joy by developing five soft skills modules tailored to Hicha Joy’s needs as well as training AVFA trainers based in the South. Through a Training of Trainers (ToT) program, 17 AVFA trainers strengthened their soft skills teaching abilities. Seven of the trainers then put these improved abilities into practice by conducting multiple training sessions at Hicha Joy. As of the time of writing 294 trainees, 271 female workers and 23 young men aged 35 or less, have already benefited from the soft skills program and been placed into a job at Hicha Joy. To learn more, watch the following video to hear first-hand testimonials.

Nexus facilitated a study to identify the most in-demand jobs by the private sector. The study also identified the associated key skills for the in-demand jobs, and the relevant training needed to address these skills effectively. The study is complemented with factsheets of the top ten in-demand jobs by private businesses in the agri-food private sector, including olive oil, horticulture, and aquaculture to highlight a few.  

IV. Next steps

The implementation of the Nexus activities will accelerate, leading to the creation of public goods and additional training and employment opportunities for youth and women. Additional trainees are expected in the second half of 2024 as part of the AVFA-Hicha Joy partnership, while discussions with other private agri-food companies are ongoing to establish multiple similar partnerships across the country before the Project’s closure in 2026. The support to ONEQ and ANETI is expected to lead to a public survey of the most in-demand jobs and skills in the agri-food sector plus the update of the agricultural profiles of the RTMC by next year. The Project is also in the process of procuring pedagogical equipment such as modern greenhouses, water pumps, and solar panels to improve the practical training at AVFA Centers, particularly in terms of sustainable and innovative practices that improve the use of scarce water resources.

^{1 AVFA is a government agency operating under both the Ministry of Agriculture, Water Resources, and Fisheries and the Ministry of Employment and Vocational Training. It provides training and extension services to farmers, aiming to improve agricultural practices, increase productivity, and promote sustainable development through education and the dissemination of new technologies. AVFA runs 40+ agriculture and fishery training centers across the entire country.}

^{2 ANETI is the government agency under the Ministry of Employment and Vocational Training responsible for promoting employment, providing job placement services, and encouraging self-employment initiatives. ANETI aims to facilitate labor market integration and reduce unemployment by offering a range of services to job seekers and employers.}

^{3 ONEQ is the department from the Ministry of Employment and Vocational Training in charge of monitoring and analyzing employment trends, labor market needs, and qualifications.}