Vocational training in Morocco in the face of reforms: institutional transformations, governance restructuring and employability challenges

Abstract

This article analyses vocational training reforms in Morocco not only as institutional and organisational transformations, but as a gradual transition towards a governance model based on the analysis of training needs, the regionalisation of public policy, the involvement of economic stakeholders and the anticipation of emerging occupations. This research is grounded in a theoretical framework and employs a qualitative methodology. It is based on an in-depth literature review drawing on key Moroccan strategic and institutional documents;  it analyses the evolution of the Moroccan vocational training system since the creation of the OFPPT, covering the various reforms of the system ranging from the National Charter for Education and Training to Framework Law 51-17, and then examines the reconfiguration of its governance through the 2021 National Vocational Training Strategy and the new 2019 roadmap for the development of the vocational training sector, of which the ‘Cités des Métiers et des Compétences’ (Cities of Trades and Skills) constitute the most significant institutional innovation. The analysis shows that these reforms reflect a gradual shift from an administered, supply-centred governance model towards a hybrid, cognitive, partnership-based, multi-level and evaluative governance model. However, it highlights persistent limitations, namely: institutional fragmentation, tensions between centralisation and regionalisation, and weak monitoring mechanisms, which call for consideration of the conditions for a more forward-looking approach to skills governance – the only approach capable of sustainably strengthening the alignment between training, employability and regional development. Drawing on the Moroccan context, this research makes a theoretical contribution to understanding the trajectories of vocational training reform. It emphasises the need for more integrated, forward-looking governance, based on a continuous analysis of skills needs, in order to support economic and technological transformations.

Keywords: Vocational training; educational governance; territorialisation; employability; alignment of training and employment; skills anticipation; needs analysis.

Received Date: April 21, 2026

Accepted Date: May 12, 2026

Published Date: June 01, 2026

Available Online at: https://www.ijsrisjournal.com/index.php/ojsfiles/article/view/744