Mostafa Rhlib, Regional Director of the National Agency for the Promotion of Employment and Skills (Anapec) in Meknes, Morocco, is one of the trainers who have benefited from these training courses. This made him a SwitchMed-approved trainer and he has agreed to share his experience, in particular on how he was able to replicate his training to promote green entrepreneurship among students at the Sidi Mohamed Ban Abdellah University in Fez:

– How did you hear about the SwitchMed programme?
I heard about it thanks to the Mohamed V Foundation, via the Centre des Très Petites Entreprises Solidaires (CTPES), coordinator of the Switchers Support National Partnership of Morocco.

– How did you become a trainer?
My story dates back to 2004. I was a consultant specializing in self-employment within Anapec and national CEFE facilitator (Competency based Economies through Formation of Entrepreneurs). I became an international CEFE advisor in 2017 and then certified trainer according to the SwitchMed-SCP/RAC methodology in 2020.

– What did you learn during your training?
Actually, the training was of great added value in enabling us transfer the following SwitchMed tools and methodologies:
• Development of a sustainable business model, including environmental and social impact assessment;
• Eco-design of products and services;
• Access to funding and access to the market.

– What were the main strengths of this training, in your opinion?
First of all, the quality of the trainers, but also the fullness of the content. The training was based on continuous exchange and practical case studies. Finally, there is also an online platform developed by SCP/RAC that provides free access to sustainable business development toolkits soon to be available, which is an essential tool.

– Can you explain your initiative of replicating ToT among PhD students at the university in Fez?
The Green Student Entrepreneur project aims to raise awareness among Moroccan youth, especially the student population, about issues related to the environment, eco-citizenship and sustainable development, through the development of student entrepreneurship in Morocco by creating effective and adequate support conditions. This means introducing the concept of sustainability in the course programmes at the Sidi Mohamed ben Abdellah University in Fez, to ensure the transition to an economy that integrates environmental capital for development and is socially inclusive.

Leading players:
• Sidi Mohamed Ben Abdellah University in Fez
• Faculty of Legal, Economic and Social Sciences in Fez
• Anapec University Agency in Fez
• Legal clinic of the Faculty of Legal, Economic and Social Sciences in Fez

Partners associated with the project:
the Association for the Promotion of Education and Training Abroad of Belgium (APEFE), private companies, NGOs, regional investment center of Fès-Meknès , council of the Fez-Meknes region.

Target audiences:
PhD students, undergraduate students at the Sidi Mohamed Ben Abdellah University.

Project stages:
Pillar 1: Green employment focal point
• Creation of a green entrepreneurship space within the faculty;
• Creation of a multi-actor consultation space to support the development of green and circular businesses and strengthen the demand for more sustainable products in the Fez-Meknes region. Support for the circular economy;
• Development of co-working spaces equipped to meet the needs of PhD and undergraduate students. Offer of coaching and networking with the ecosystem (confirmed entrepreneurs, managers of incubators and nurseries, managers of financial institutions, etc.).

Pillar 2: training of trainers
• Training PhD students to be trainers according to the SwitchMed-SCP/RAC methodology;
• Creation of a green entrepreneur student club;
• Carrying out diagnostics to identify market opportunities;
• Skills building, incubation and then financing of young people with social projects;

Pillar 3: student support
• Help students with projects to obtain the Student-Entrepreneur Status in Morocco, a legal status validated in 2018 by the Moroccan Government.
• Help students with projects who come from rural areas to access the Green Generation project.

Role of the Green Student-Entrepreneur:
• The project identifies and supports social student-entrepreneurs and implements and/or strengthens a green focal point within the faculty;
• The Moroccan students identified as student-entrepreneurs will benefit from a teacher/professional co-supervision system to support them in their business project;
• Their entrepreneurial skills will be certified and their business plan will be validated as a final thesis;
• The project aims to help change the mentality of the people close to students, in particular female students, in order to promote family and faculty support in the entrepreneurial process.

Main results:
• Raising awareness among 1,000 students on green entrepreneurship;
• Support for 200 young students in accessing the two programmes set up by the Moroccan State (Student-Entrepreneur Status; Green Generation);
• Organisation of Start-up Days;
• Creation of an innovative green entrepreneurship space within the faculty;
• Establishment of a network of PhD student trainers, who will consolidate and standardize their support methodologies by following the SwitchMed-SCP/RAC methodology;
• Strengthening of advocacy training techniques for 21 civil society organisations;
• Youth participation in more than 5 Green Days of discussions and consultations on the importance of the circular economy;
• Completion of a regional study to identify entrepreneurial niches;
• Support to students in accessing funding set up by the various institutions at regional and local level.