Global Affairs

Through a better prepared workforce, and improved academic-to-workplace transition focusing on mathematical science skills, the Skills for Employability (SFE) program is the right opportunity for Africa's youth, particularly women, to become active contributors in its transformation.

The SFE program offers an incredible match funding opportunity where the Government of Canada will match every dollar donated in Canada with three more. So your contribution will have quadruple the effect or $1 dollar becomes $4 dollars.

The five-year SFE program, funded by Global Affairs Canada, is designed to contribute to solutions of major development challenges in La Francophonie Africa by meeting the demands of the knowledge-based industries emerging in the region through providing highly skilled training and also improving transition to work for Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM) scholars.

SFE builds on the AIMS Cooperative Master’s degree at AIMS Senegal, through the support from the MasterCard Foundation, and the AIMS Industry Initiative launched in 2013.

Program Targets

• 200 AIMS Cooperative Masters students,
• 160 Post-AIMS Business Certificate graduates and
• 2,250 beneficiaries who will undertake Massive Online Open Courses training including students from 13 partner institutions across la Francophonie including Benin, Burkina-Faso, Burundi, Cameroon, Madagascar, Mali, Mauritania, Niger, Democratic Republic of Congo and Senegal

SFE will include the following components:

• A new post-AIMS two-month Business certificate to enable AIMS students and alumni to develop in-depth business and entrepreneurship skills with a 3 month business internship;
• Online learning modules through the African Virtual University (AVU) digital learning platform
• Industry focused math forums that bring mathematicians and industry together to solve practical challenges faced by industry
• Strategic partnership with academic institutions and private sector including women owned and led businesses
• Women in Science events

The expected outcome for the SFE program is to increase the economic prosperity of the target populations in La Francophonie by improving skills for employment of AIMS graduates.

AIMS will develop and strengthen partnerships with relevant institutions, especially industries and businesses owned or led by women, to achieve this goal.