Creating Industry 4.0
jobs in Morocco

Automation specialists in demand

Morocco is increasingly asserting its position as an industrial platform and logistics hub for the African continent. Its progress in this endeavour is illustrated by the fact that the country has been the top car manufacturer in Africa since 2017. Another example is Tanger Med port, which was ranked the world’s sixth most effective port in the global Container Port Performance Index (CPPI) in 2022. This drive has ushered in the development of various sectors, including electronics, agriculture, the agri-food industry, and information and communication technology (ICT).

Keeping pace with this rapid development, Moroccan industry is gradually introducing the automation processes that are part of Industry 4.0, also known as the Fourth Industrial Revolution, which refers to the advance of information technology and connectivity permitting the digitalisation of objects, services and processes. This transformation enables production processes to be optimised, thanks to vast data collection and processing capacity across industrial value chains. Industry 4.0 holds enormous potential for growth, and therefore for job creation, which Moroccan companies are keen to unlock. However, this industrial transformation also increases their need for automation specialists and widens the range of skills required.

In spite of the wide variety of training options offered by public and private establishments in Morocco, companies often struggle to find experts in Industry 4.0 occupations. With a view to promoting job creation in this growth sector, Invest for Jobs has contributed to the setting up of the Competence Center on Automation (CCoA), a consortium of German and Moroccan industrial and academic partners that aims to improve the Industry 4.0 skills most in demand in Moroccan industry.

Training and sharing of expertise

The CCoA, which opened in January 2021, serves as a platform for transferring and sharing knowledge and best practices through a professional cooperation network that brings together German and Moroccan training institutions and industrial companies.

In this regard, the CCoA is rolling out a training and targeted networking scheme for students from Moroccan partner universities and schools. The scheme offers basic training in mechanics, electronics and automation that is delivered by German specialists and focused on the needs of Moroccan industry. At the end of their course, students benefit from mentoring from CCoA partner companies for their final project, which helps to enhance their employability. A CV sharing platform has also been set up, enabling CCoA partner companies to search for young graduates that best meet their recruitment needs.

This basic training is also available to employees of firms operating in this ecosystem, be they shop floor workers, engineers, or managers.

In terms of resources, the CCoA has provided a number of Moroccan universities and schools with PLCnext software platforms, for teaching purposes. Developed by Phoenix Contact, one of the CCoA’s flagship partner companies, the PLCnext platform is particularly suited to industrial automation, being designed to manage an ecosystem of software and hardware in a simple and flexible way.

The CCoA also provides training for teachers and lecturers who then act as multipliers in partner establishments, training other members of the teaching staff so that they can help students master automation technology.

Finally, in order to promote cooperation and facilitate the transfer of expertise between German companies and Moroccan partners in the field of electrical and mechanical engineering, the CCoA regularly organises gatherings and seminars with experts on a variety of subjects. These events serve as forums for sharing knowledge.

A platform for innovation

As of January 2023, around 776 beneficiaries (over 80% of whom are young people, and 30% women) have been trained. As a result of this training, 160 beneficiaries have found jobs. The Center had provided eight training sessions attended by around 60 lecturers and teachers from 16 Moroccan universities and schools. In addition, eight lectures were held on subjects relating to Industry 4.0.

The CCoA also seeks to play a role in promoting innovation in Industry 4.0, by supporting innovative projects led by young people. To this end, it will reward those students presenting the best final projects. In addition, the CCoA plans to hold Makeathons, which will see young people taking part in intensive practical workshops to develop prototypes of new technology products and tools. 

This project is the result of a joint initiative, launched in 2020, by the Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ) GmbH in Morocco, the German Chamber of Commerce and Industry in Morocco (AHK Morocco), the German Electro and Digital Industry Association (ZVEI), the industrial group Siemens, the Deutsche Messe Technology Academy, Germany’s Steinbeis University and German small and medium-sized enterprises operating in the electricity sector. Various Moroccan academic institutions have joined this initiative, including Hassan II University of Casablanca (UH2C), Mohammed VI Polytechnic University (UM6P), the Moroccan School of Engineering Sciences (EMSI) and the Hassan II Institute of Agronomy and Veterinary Medicine (IAV Hassan II), as well as a large number of companies.

The CCoA is supported by the Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ) GmbH under the Special Initiative "Decent Work for a Just Transition" of the German Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development (BMZ).