Casablanca-Settat: 97 Young Graduates Honored under the Nafass Program
A graduation ceremony was held on Monday at the headquarters of the Casablanca-Settat Regional Council to honor 97 young graduates of the Nafass program, an innovative initiative designed to support the professional integration of NEET youth (not in education, employment, or training) into careers in the hospitality and restaurant industries.
This event is part of the decentralized cooperation between the Casablanca-Settat region and the Île-de-France region, formalized through a cooperation roadmap signed on April 24 in Casablanca for the period 2025–2027. The partnership aims to promote sustainable professional integration through an intensive and structured training path focused on both technical and interpersonal skills.
The Nafass program provided graduates with comprehensive training, including a hands-on module in hospitality and food service, coupled with a one-month course dedicated to soft skills such as personal development, communication, and self-confidence. The program has achieved an impressive employment integration rate of 95%.
On this occasion, Abdellatif Maâzouz, President of the Casablanca-Settat Regional Council, expressed his satisfaction with the program’s success and commended the outstanding progress made by the young participants.
“I am pleased to organize this ceremony in honor of young people who, not long ago, were unemployed, untrained, and out of school. Today, they have found their place in society, developed strong personalities, earned social recognition, and now make a dignified living,” said Mr. Maâzouz in a press statement.
He emphasized that these results were achieved “in a very short time, between four and six months,” thanks to rigorous hands-on training and personalized support focused on self-confidence and personal growth.
Mr. Maâzouz described this experience as a successful first step resulting from the partnership between Casablanca-Settat and Île-de-France, expressing the Council’s determination to extend this integration model to other fields and areas of the region to benefit a greater number of young people.
The graduates expressed pride and emotion at the ceremony, which marked a turning point in their personal and professional lives. For many, the training offered a genuine opportunity for reintegration and self-discovery, allowing them not only to learn a trade but also to gain the confidence needed to thrive in the workforce.
Today, these new graduates are fully integrated and active members of society, pursuing careers that align with their aspirations and contributing to the economic and social vitality of the Casablanca-Settat region.
The Regional Council also took this opportunity to present its other initiatives supporting youth employment and social inclusion. In partnership with the Mohammed V Foundation for Solidarity, the region has supported social and solidarity economy projects that have created 2,933 jobs, including 933 in 2025, through programs dedicated to microenterprises, income-generating activities, and cooperatives in crafts and local products.
Additionally, the region supports several innovative initiatives such as Art Factory (cultural industries), TIBU (sports entrepreneurship), Mashrou3i (youth entrepreneurship), and LionsGeek (digital skills training), which together have enabled hundreds of young people to gain training, find employment, or launch their own ventures.
Through the Nafass program and these other strategic initiatives, the Casablanca-Settat region reaffirms its firm commitment to promoting the socio-professional inclusion of youth, supporting their pathways to employment, and fostering inclusive and sustainable development across its territory.
Editorial team/le7tv
