A working session held Friday at the headquarters of the Ministry of Vocational Training and Employment, under the chairmanship of Minister Lotfi Dhiab, reviewed the progress made in the implementation of the IRADA "Regional Initiative to Support Sustainable Economic Development" programme. The "Irada" programme aims to support 26 vocational training centres in eight governorates through financing agreements that will enable the creation of new training specialities in these centres, equip them and train the trainers, according to a press release issued on Saturday. This programme aims to support the role of the private sector in the economic development of the regions and to develop vocational training in the public sector by financing the creation of new specialities in line with regional specificities and the needs of the labour market in terms of skills. The Minister stressed the need to speed up the implementation of the planned projects within the deadlines set and with the required quality, stressi ng the importance of these projects for the development and diversification of training provision. The IRADA programme, implemented in partnership with the European Union, aims to contribute to sustainable and inclusive economic development and improve the employability of women and men in 8 pilot governorates (Gabes, Medenine, Gafsa, Kasserine, Sfax, Sidi Bouzid, Bizerte and Jendouba) through the creation of regional platforms for public-private dialogue. It also aims to strengthen the private sector's contribution to sustainable economic development in the target regions, to improve the quality and relevance of vocational training and employment support services in order to better meet the needs of the national and international labour markets, and to sustain the structured participation of regional stakeholders in private sector development and vocational training governance. Source: Agence Tunis Afrique Presse