Creating Industry 4.0 jobs in Morocco

Published on 08 February 2023 - updated 17 July 2025

CONTEXT AND CHALLENGES

A growing demand for automation specialists

Morocco is increasingly asserting its position as an industrial platform and logistics hub for the African continent. The port of Tanger Med ranks fourth in the World Container Port Performance Index (CPPI) for 2023, making it the best port in Africa and Europe for the second year in a row. This drive has ushered in the development of various sectors, including electronics, agriculture, the agri-food industry, and information and communication technology (ICT).

To keep up with this rapid progress, Moroccan industry is gradually integrating automation processes in line with Industry 4.0. Also known as the Fourth Industrial Revolution, it 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 economic growth and job creation, which Moroccan companies are keen to unlock. However, it also increases the demand for automation specialists and expands the range of skills required.

Despite the variety of training programmes offered by both public and private institutions in Morocco, companies often face challenges in finding Industry 4.0 specialists. To address these challenges, Invest for Jobs played a key role in establishing the Competence Center on Automation (CCoA), a consortium of German and Moroccan industrial and academic partners that aimed to enhance the most in-demand Industry 4.0 skills in Morocco.

PROJECT APPROACH AND PROJECT GOALS

Training and sharing of expertise

Launched in January 2021, CCoA served as a platform for transferring and sharing knowledge and best practices. It did so by cultivating a network of professional cooperation, bringing together German and Moroccan industrial training institutions and companies.

Consequently, CCoA has rolled out a targeted training and networking programme for students from Moroccan partner universities and schools. The programme offered basic training in mechanics, electronics, and automation, delivered by German specialists, and tailored to the needs of Moroccan industry. Upon coursework completion, students obtained mentorship from CCoA partner companies. This not only guided them through their final projects but also enhanced their practical skills and employability. CCoA supported several Moroccan educational institutions by providing PLCnext software for teaching purposes. This is an industrial automation tool developed by Phoenix Contact, one of CCoA’s flagship partner companies.

Various Moroccan academic institutions joined this initiative, including Hassan II University of Casablanca (UH2C), Mohammed VI Polytechnic University (UM6P), the Moroccan School of Engineering Sciences (EMSI), the Hassan II Institute of Agronomy and Veterinary Medicine (IAV Hassan II), as well as numerous companies.

STATUS AND OUTLOOK

Almost 400 jobs created

Support from Invest for Jobs for the CCoA project concluded in December 2023. By this time, 1382 beneficiaries had been trained. Over 80 per cent of the trainees were young people, and 30 per cent were women. The training resulted in 392 quality, long-term jobs across Morocco's industrial sector. These positions included automation engineers, PLC programmers, industrial network specialists, and robotics technicians at companies implementing Industry 4.0 technologies.

Moreover, CCoA carried out eight training sessions, targeting 60 teaching professionals from 16 educational institutions. These "train-the-trainer" programs helped create a multiplier effect, as these educators now integrated Industry 4.0 concepts into their regular teaching curricula.

In February 2023, with the support from Invest for Jobs, CCoA also organised a Makeathon titled 'Morocco 4.0: Talents and Technology'. This offered over 100 young participants the opportunity to take part in intensive hands-on workshops to develop prototypes of new products and technological tools, while also enabling them to exchange ideas with professionals and experts in the field in order to refine their project concepts.

CCoA was 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).

Project details

Project status

Completed

Project locations

Project objectives

Skills development knowledge transfer job creation

Sector

ICT & Digital economy

A project with

Companies Universities Chambers and associations

Partners

Centre de compétences en automation (CCoA)

Creating Industry 4.0
jobs in Morocco

CONTEXT AND CHALLENGES

A growing demand for automation specialists

PROJECT APPROACH AND PROJECT GOALS

Training and sharing of expertise

STATUS AND OUTLOOK

Almost 400 jobs created

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