Youth employment: Ivorian trainers equipped with Japanese techniques at the CFPT-SJ in Dakar

Two training seminars for Ivorian trainers concluded this Friday, August 21, at the Senegal-Japan Vocational and Technical Training Center (CFPT-SJ). Supported by the Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA), this initiative focuses on skills transfer and the Japanese 5S-Kaizen methodology to modernize teaching practices in Côte d'Ivoire. At the end of the program, participants received their certificates and were tasked with applying their newly acquired skills in their respective institutions.

During their session, the seminar participants alternated between technical learning, exchanges of experiences, and total immersion in the CFPT-SJ system. The work focused in particular on the design and construction of photovoltaic units adapted for the preservation of fruits and vegetables, as well as on innovation and technical design.

A prominent place has been given to 5S-Kaizen. This Japanese approach is based on five pillars: organization, sorting, cleanliness, standardization, and continual improvement. Its objective is to make workspaces more efficient and to establish a sustainable culture of quality.

For Mamadou Camara, Chairman of the Board of Directors of CFPT-SJ, 5S-Kaizen "is not a passing fad." It should enable the evolution of "working methods, learning environments, and above all, organizational culture."

Knowledge to be passed on to learners

Ivorian trainers are now called upon to pass on these principles to their trainees. "You are now the custodians of this philosophy," he told them. The aim is to instill in young people the reflexes of rigor, quality, and discipline necessary for successful professional integration.

The closing ceremony also included a guided tour of the CFPT-SJ workshops. The Chief of Staff of the Ministry of Vocational and Technical Training, Amadou Bèye Ndiaye, visited the various workshops, where he received detailed explanations about the machines, their operation, and their integration into the educational program.

The challenge for the trainers is now to transform this theoretical and practical knowledge into work habits in their home centers. "This seminar is ending, but our commitment is only just beginning," declared Okobé Dorcas, the general delegate of the Ivorian seminar participants. The participants are thus committed to sharing these lessons to build a generation of young people who are "better trained, more qualified, and more competitive in the job market."

Through these seminars, Senegal, Côte d'Ivoire, and Japan are strengthening their triangular cooperation in a strategic sector. Beyond capacity building, this synergy aims to circulate best practices and expertise to sustainably raise the standards of vocational training in West Africa.