Axian's commitment to vocational training: towards a revolution in skills in Madagascar and in the region

When we adopted "Let's Grow Together" as the signature of the Axian Group, my purpose was to reflect the deep-rooted belief that Madagascar and the African continent would not achieve their economic revolution unless they first go through a revolution in skills. Now that Axian has been carrying out multiple initiatives to train and support young graduates, I am even more persuaded of this.

Africa is the world’s youngest continent with half of its population being under 20. School enrollment rates in the continent are also the lowest in the world, and unemployment affects 75 million out of the 200 million youth in the 15-24 age group.

As for Madagascar specifically, almost half of the population is under 15. Despite the Government’s efforts to ensure universal access to primary education and to develop the educational supply, clichés about schools in Africa such as crowded classrooms, obsolete equipment, and so on, are not very far from ground realities in this island. 

The situation is alarming and could indisputably be described as a failure of public authorities to meet the educational needs of our younger generations. If we want to achieve the Sustainable Development Goal on education and not leave it to the status of a mere wish, we must all come together, with the business community at the frontline, to give access to education to our young people, from the age of 3 until professional integration.

We must decidedly share this absolute need for action and take responsibility, as I explained in my last forum. Our success and our common interests are at stake: well-educated and trained young people are the drivers of business success and growth which are key to economic growth on the continent.

I am not just referring to corporate donations for schools and universities or distribution of school supplies. Such social actions are praiseworthy and have become critical for the daily lives of millions of children in the current situation. The Telma Foundation, which we created in 2008, has contributed to the schooling of 9,830 children in 60 schools from 2015 to 2017.

In my opinion, companies such as Axian have a duty that is even more important, that is to encourage vocational training, which, in my view, includes support to young graduates and entrepreneurs. We do have value added that few actors may claim having because of our day-to-day experience in human capital management and in changes in trades in the digital age.

According to the International Labor Organization’s (ILO) last report, 69% of young people in Madagascar are non-regular workers, and it takes on average four years for young Malagasies to transition to a stable job. 

At Axian, we do more than offering stable employment: we hunt for talent and we offer to each individual a career plan in which ongoing education has a sizeable role, especially for young people. I will have the opportunity to state this to all the African students in France at the “Africa, a Destination for Employment” forum that will be organized by Campus France on November 24th  and 25th and at which Axian will take part. We hope to meet many talented young people that would be ready to join Axian in its adventure.

Like all our employees, they can count on the Group's ongoing investment in training. Training is key for us and benefits greatly to our company’s soundness: whenever an employee builds skills, his or her entire team progresses, and the company along.

We have reached a new milestone this year with the opening of the Axian Training Center, which I was proud to inaugurate last April. From client relations to electrical energy systems, to project management and stress management, all our employees have access to various training courses whose content is tailored to their realities.

Businesses have also the responsibility of acting as a bridge between the higher education supply, which is often inadequate, and the needs of the labor market by sharing their analysis of trends, by contributing to the employability of students, by infusing entrepreneurial spirit, by triggering the right desires... All of these are a few of the many reasons why Axian supports and works in post-secondary institutions in Madagascar.

A revolution in skills in Madagascar and in the region is possible. It must rely on strong mobilization of the private sector to cause talents to emerge or to accelerate their development, to allow everyone to access a job where they can thrive, and to develop their skills. This is the mission that Axian has embraced: “Let’s grow together”. We hope to inspire the entire private sector to embark on this path.