The 6th training session for employment advisors.
The 6th training session for employment advisers was held in Yaoundé from 11 to 20 September 2023. The session was organised together with the African Association of Public Employment Services (AASEP) and WAPES, in close collaboration with the National Employment Fund (FNE) of Cameroon and the National Employment Agency (ANPE) of Mali, focusing on relations with companies.
A total of 33 advisers, heads of department and executives from 13 PES shared their on-the-ground practices and questions, and analysed the various aspects of this core issue for public services. Participants were able to work together to develop new guidelines for action, alternating between strategic and highly operational approaches, with the support of a multi-national team highly experienced in intermediation
This session was also highlighted by several key moments like an on-site immersion at the FNE regional agency in the Centre region, where participants actively and directly took part in interviews to pre-select candidates for job offers, as well as a breakfast meeting with employers. As part of this exchange, the FNE reactivated a draft service agreement with Camtel, the mobile phone operator in Cameroon, started a collaboration with the Yaoundé Hilton for joint actions on tourism professions aimed at young people, and also registered new job offers.
Another key event in this training session was the opening ceremony, presided over by Mr Camille Moute A Bidias, Managing Director of the FNE and Honorary President of WAPES, in the presence of numerous representatives of the Cameroon Ministry of Employment and Vocational Training, civil society and the media, putting the spotlight on the investment made by PES to always provide the best service, without forgetting the closing ceremony, an emotionally-charged moment bringing the achievements of this 6th session into perspective.
Special tribute must be paid to the commitment and efficiency of the FNE and ANPE teams in Mali, who made sure this session went off without a hitch.
This session is also groundbreaking, as it involves the introduction of a certification process designed to measure the long-term impact of this work on the ground, by providing support for the implementation of action plans over several months and the presentation of a professional memoir by the participants. This represents the first step for our WAPES Academy project in designing skills development programmes for the benefit of our members.
Thierry Huort, WAPES Consultant