• Burundi embassy, Italian university launch vocational training partnership

• Free Italian courses prepare youth for certified jobs

• Initiative targets underemployment, youth job market pressures

The Embassy of Burundi in Rome and Rome’s Auge University have agreed to work together to support vocational training and help young Burundians enter the Italian labor market.

In a letter sent last week to Burundi’s Minister of Foreign Affairs, Regional Integration and Development Cooperation, Ambassador Ernest Ndabashinze (pictured, right) said proficiency in Italian is a prerequisite for access to certified training and employment in Italy.

The program includes free online Italian courses to prepare candidates before departure. Training will be offered in several technical and service fields, including vehicle maintenance, agricultural machinery operation, hospitality, elderly care, cooking, plumbing, construction and pastry-making.

Upon arrival in Italy, participants will be placed with partner companies. They will attend theoretical courses at the university while completing practical apprenticeships within the companies.

The initiative aims to address persistent underemployment. According to the African Development Bank, more than half of Burundi’s workforce was underemployed in 2024. The World Bank says around 150,000 young people enter the labor market each year.

The World Bank also reports that the unemployment rate among 15- to 24-year-olds stood at 1.62% in 2024, but notes that the figure masks widespread precarious and informal employment. In an economy where 14% of young people are not in employment, education or training (NEET), seeking opportunities abroad is seen as a pragmatic response to structural labor market constraints.

The partnership with Italy comes as Burundi expands vocational training programs to improve employability, from national technical centers to initiatives backed by international partners. Since 2021, the government has also rolled out the Youth Economic Empowerment and Employment Program to reduce unemployment and strengthen young people’s economic integration.

Félicien Houindo Lokossou