The Regional Training Center for Road Maintenance (CERFER) is enhancing its educational programs to align more closely with job market requirements. A two-day workshop, which commenced on Tuesday, March 26, in Lomé, is currently validating new training initiatives.
This effort is part of the Training Integration Support Project (PAIF), which is financed by the African Development Bank (AfDB). The goal is to equip CERFER with curricula that reflect the evolving needs of businesses in critical sectors.
A total of 11 new curricula have been created for training in construction, railway, mechanical engineering, and mining. These documents encompass a work situation analysis, a job-skills framework, a training framework, and a guide for educational and material organization. The development of these materials utilized the Competency-Based Approach (CBA), which focuses on acquiring skills that are directly applicable in the workplace.
“The alignment of training with labor market needs is crucial for enhancing youth employability and fostering infrastructure development,” emphasized Assedi Kossi, Chief of Staff of the Ministry of Technical Education, Vocational Training, and Apprenticeship.
For the center, which has been rehabilitating and expanding its socio-educational facilities in recent years, “these new programs enhance its ability to train skilled and operational youth, prepared to enter the job market and tackle the challenges of significant projects across Africa,” stated the director general, Samah Ouro-Djobo.
Established in 1970 by the member countries of the Council of the Entente (Benin, Burkina Faso, Ivory Coast, Niger, and Togo), CERFER’s mission is to train technicians who specialize in the maintenance and construction of transport infrastructure, particularly in the road and rail sectors.
