By Etienne Mainimo Mengnjo
In a bid to tackle a persistent mismatch between classroom learning and workplace demands, the government of Cameroon through the Secondary Education and Skills Development Project (SESDP), have launched a quality apprenticeship program targeting 500 young people, with the goal of aligning training more closely with labor market needs.
The initiative, announced June 6 during a stakeholder engagement mission in Douala, is led by SESDP, operating through its Competitive Skills Development Mechanism (MCDC) brought together project leaders, businesses and professional organizations at the Douala Center of Excellence for Vocational Training.
According to program officials, the program combines theoretical instruction with hands-on experience. Youths will be train directly inside partner companies while also receiving classroom education at accredited vocational centers or company-integrated training sites. Each apprentice will be mentored by a qualified supervisor and will earn a professional certification upon completion, a credential designed to boost employability.
“The goal is to equip young people with immediately usable skills in sectors where demand for trained labor is high,” SESDP Program Manager said during the launch.
Central to the initiative’s success, the project leaders said, is strong business participation. The Douala mission aims to identify high-demand occupations, compile apprenticeship openings and tailor training content to local economic realities. Formal partnerships with companies will be established to guarantee placement for selected youth.
Several employers’ organizations and firms from strategic sectors have already signed on, including agribusiness, digital technology, energy, logistics, transportation, construction, metallurgy, automotive, hospitality, forestry and fashion.
Through the new initiative, SESDP aims to create a new generation of professionals better prepared for the job market, with the 500 apprentices expected to gain practical experience that eases their entry into companies or supports their own business ventures.
The broader objective, project leaders said, is to build a training system more closely connected to Cameroon’s economic realities — including new certification frameworks, digital tools for vocational education and graduate employment surveys.
Beyond the apprenticeship launch, SESDP has recorded other milestones nationwide: more than 350 secondary schools have received financial support to improve education quality; thousands of girls from low-enrollment areas have received targeted assistance to stay in school; and schools have been equipped with digital tools.
Thousands of teachers and educational leaders have been trained, and new training frameworks have been developed for construction, agribusiness, digital technology and energy. In vocational training specifically, 26 technical and vocational schools have been selected for significant funding to modernize equipment. Thousands of workers, entrepreneurs and social economy actors have also benefited from skills development programs.
The program is supported by the Cameroonian government and the World Bank.
