The Head of Government issues a circular activating the "Awrach 2" program (press release)

The Head of Government, Mr. Aziz Akhannouch, issued a circular activating the "Awrach 2" program, which aims to create 250,000 direct jobs within two years, within the framework of temporary minor and major public workshops, following the positive outcome of the "Awrach" program for the year 2022. The programme is part of the Government's integrated employment policy, which considers different age groups and regional specificities, accompanies those excluded from the labor market and facilitates their economic integration, through innovative programs aimed at improving employability and enhancing the chances of professional integration at the territorial level, without requiring qualifications. This is in partnership between ministerial sectors, public institutions, local authorities, and territorial communities, as well as civil society associations and local cooperatives, in addition to private sector companies. The government has allocated a financial envelope of 2.25 billion dirhams for the "Awrach" program for the year 2023. The publication specified definitions of the components of the "Awrach 2" program, in addition to the target groups and benefits granted, the approach to its implementation, as well as the development of a governance system to implement the program. According to the publication, the "Awrach 2" program consists of two parts: 
Temporary public workshops: for an average of about 6 months targeting people who find it difficult to integrate into the labor market, people who have lost their jobs due to the COVID-19 pandemic, or other reasons. Workshops to support sustainable inclusion: It targets in particular non-degree holders, who are employed by companies, cooperatives, associations, and small enterprises whose annual turnover does not exceed 10 million dirhams during the last 3 years, by employing job seekers who have not been authorized by the National Social Security Fund for more than 6 months. The "Awrach 2" program provided several advantages for the beneficiaries of temporary public workshops, such as supervising the beneficiaries within the workshops with the aim of developing skills and competencies, promoting training aimed at improving employability (technical as well as life skills) through the involvement of the various relevant ministerial sectors and their training institutions, in addition to handing over a document from the operator at the end of the workshops to enhance the chances of later integration into the framework of similar economic activities, provided that the state bears the expenses related to wages, training, the employer's share and insurance for Occupational accidents in relation to social coverage. The program also offers other benefits to beneficiaries of workshops to support sustainable inclusion; for non-degree holders employed by businesses, associations, or cooperatives, they will be integrated for a minimum of 12 months. In addition to strengthening their capacities through state-funded training within the framework of employment promotion programs. The state will also grant operators an employment incentive grant of 1,500 Dirhams per month, for a period of 09 months for each beneficiary. In addition, beneficiaries of the "Awrach" program will be able to obtain a monthly income of at least the minimum wage during the duration of the workshops and benefit from social coverage, including family allowances, in accordance with the laws and regulations in force. According to the Head of Government's circular, the Strategic Committee will determine the shares of each region, province, and prefecture from the annual total number of beneficiaries of the "Awrach" program in both parts, and 20% of the total number of priority projects at the national level, which have a positive impact on the population and its surroundings, and that contribute to achieving public policy objectives such as health, education, territorial development, women's empowerment and the advancement of groups with special needs. The Head of Government called on the members of the government, each from his position, to take the necessary measures to implement the contents of the publication, through the mobilization of the ministerial sectors concerned with external services and public institutions under tutelage to provide the necessary supervisory and logistical support to ensure the completion of the relevant projects.