Key drivers for the labour market and youth employment
The Fondation Tunisie pour le Développement has opened two new ELIFE vocational training centres in Sidi Bouzid and Tozeur, and the automotive supplier Autoliv is expanding its production in El Fahs to include steering wheel cores. Both projects were made possible by grants from the Facility Investing for Employment (IFE).
In Tunisia, two new vocational training centres run by the Fondation Tunisie pour le Développement have opened their doors. This milestone will particularly benefit young adults aiming for careers as skilled workers in the digital economy and the renewable energy sector.
Tunisia’s appeal as a location for ICT companies is set to grow further. To achieve this, the grant recipient operates so-called ELIFE centres at ten locations. Participants can take part in tailored training courses there. Support programmes for start-ups complement the range of services on offer.
Since 2016, the foundation has been committed to supporting Tunisia’s young people. Its work focuses on the education of young Tunisians and on the economic development of the country’s disadvantaged regions. Youth unemployment in Tunisia stands at 37.5 per cent, and many participants in the training programmes offered by the Fondation Tunisie pour le Développement have already been successfully integrated into the labour market.
The centres have established themselves as key points of contact for young entrepreneurs and are now also of interest to companies looking to recruit young talent.
© FTD
To mark the launch of the new centres, Badreddine Ouali, President of the Foundation, remarked:
“The opening of these two centres represents an important step for us in our efforts to promote equal opportunities and the development of these regions. We are convinced that the young people here have immense potential, and that it is worthwhile to support them in their career development and to equip them with the skills for the jobs of tomorrow and inspire them.”
IFE is investing a total of 4.9 million euros in the establishment of three ELIFE centres. The centre in Tozeur, situated in south-western Tunisia on the very edge of the Sahara, and the centre in Sidi Bouzid, just under 200 kilometres away, were opened on 16 and 17 June 2026. The third centre is being built in the city of Kairouan.
In addition to the Facility Investing for Employment Investment, the European Union and the Agence Française de Développement have also contributed to the funding of the centres.
______________________
© IFE
IFE’s partner company, Autoliv Tunisie, also has some good news to report: 60 kilometres south-west of the capital, Tunis, at the El Fahs site, the new steering wheel production plant has commenced operations. In future, major car manufacturers in Europe are to be supplied with steering wheels and dashboards from this site.
Autoliv Tunisie is already a key player in the Tunisian automotive industry and supplies several major car manufacturers in Europe with ready-to-fit products. Until now, the company has had to rely on imports of the metal steering wheel blanks required for this purpose. However, with the expansion of the plant in El Fahs to include a magnesium injection moulding line, the company is taking another important step forward in the value chain. This enables it to offer its customers high-quality steering wheels that are manufactured entirely in-house.
Other businesses in the El Fahs area and across the Zaghouan governorate are also set to benefit from the economic momentum generated by the new plant.
IFE is supporting the construction of the steering wheel production facility with 4.27 million euros.