During a plenary session, held, Thursday, on the mission of the Employment and Vocational Training Ministry, most MPs focused on the issue of bureaucracy which they say " hinders the private initiative and the launch of projects destined to young people." They called for «liberating» the private initiative and remove all «discouraging» procedures due to the high unemployment rates and lack of job opportunities in the public sector. Other MPs deplored the suspension of several projects meant to create vocational training centers nationwide due to real estate, administrative and financial problems and lack of equipment. They also called for modernizing the vocational training sector by creating new specialties which meet the needs of the labor market as well as developing strategies which encourage training. Some MPs criticized the services offered by private vocational training centers, calling for consolidating the sector by increasing control and mentoring educational inspectors. Concerning employment, MPs called for reviewing the Labor Code, questioning the ministry's strategy and vision in the area of employment. They stressed the need to shift the ministry's efforts to consolidating employment mechanisms as well as launching a new national employment strategy. MPs spoke of «the poor» of the budget of the Employment and Vocational Training Ministry, which, they said, «hinders investments in the field of employment». MPs also called for activating economic diplomacy and generalizing training centers for rural women. Source: Agence Tunis Afrique Presse