• Tunisia opens Smart Industry 4.0 training center in Sfax
• First 13 trainees focus on IoT, robotics, automation skills
• Part of Swiss-backed Takween program to boost youth employability

The Sfax governorate in Tunisia inaugurated a new specialized training center on Tuesday, September 30, focusing on Smart Industry 4.0. The hub aims to prepare young people for careers related to the digital transformation of manufacturing and enhance their employability in a rapidly evolving market.

Elyes Chérif, Director General of the Tunisian Professional Training Agency (ATFP), emphasized that the project directly addresses the evolving needs of Tunisian businesses, which face increasing automation and digitalization of their processes. “The objective is to equip young people with the specialized skills that correspond to the requirements of Industry 4.0 and offer them better professional integration prospects,” he stated.

The new facility will welcome a first cohort of 13 trainees selected for programs centered on automation, the Internet of Things (IoT), robotics, and the maintenance of smart industrial systems. This laboratory is the fourth of its kind in Tunisia, following centers established in Sidi Thabet (Ariana), Monastir, and Sousse.

The program is part of the Swiss-backed “Takween” program, launched in 2020. Takween adopts an innovative, work-study approach to vocational training, aiming to strengthen the employability of higher education graduates, particularly those from professional training tracks, and align young Tunisians’ skills with the standards of the Fourth Industrial Revolution.

Such initiatives are critical in Africa, where the African Development Bank forecasts that more than 30 million young Africans will enter the labor market annually by 2030. In Tunisia, a country with a young population and a changing industrial base, these specialized labs are designed to bridge the skills gap and stimulate local innovation.

With this new base, Tunisia aims to cultivate a talent pool capable of meeting the challenges of the digital revolution, fostering the emergence of technology startups, and contributing to the development of smart industry both nationally and regionally.

Samira Njoya