Fez-Meknes City of Trades and Skills Set to Open Under Morocco’s 2027 Finance Bill, Finance Minister Announces

FEZ / RABAT (FesNews Media) — Morocco’s Minister of Economy and Finance Fouzi Lekjaa announced before the House of Representatives on Saturday, November 14, 2026, the scheduled opening of the City of Trades and Skills (CMC) in the Fès-Meknès region under the 2027 Draft Finance Bill, ending months of anticipation surrounding one of central Morocco’s flagship next-generation vocational training hubs.

Addressing lawmakers during the government’s plenary reply ahead of the vote on Part One of the 2027 budget, Lekjaa anchored the launch of the Fès-Meknès campus—alongside sister Cities of Trades and Skills in Guelmim-Oued Noun and Drâa-Tafilalet—within a record 121.3 billion dirham national appropriation for education, higher learning, and vocational training, up by 15.3 billion dirhams compared with 2026 and backed by 17,874 new budgetary posts.

Strategic Workforce Hub for Fez, Meknes and Seven Surrounding Provinces

The operational launch of CMC Fès-Meknès carries major economic significance for tens of thousands of young job seekers, apprentices, and artisans across the two prefectures of Fez and Meknes as well as the region’s seven provinces: Moulay Yacoub, Sefrou, Taounate, Ifrane, El Hajeb, Taza, and Boulemane.

Lekjaa told Parliament that the expanded 2027 training budget is explicitly designed to align vocational curricula with real labor-market demand while creating practical, skill-certified pathways for out-of-school youth, equipping graduates to integrate rapidly into regional industries or launch small enterprises.

Synergy With 49 New University Institutions and Applied Innovation

Alongside opening the three regional Cities of Trades and Skills, the 2027 Finance Bill funds the creation of 49 new university institutions nationwide and strengthens targeted research and innovation programs, reinforcing Fez’s historic standing as a premier academic center bridging university research with hands-on technical trades.

Regional lawmakers and business associations in Fès-Meknès had repeatedly urged the executive during parliamentary committee hearings to accelerate vocational and industrial infrastructure delivery to curb youth unemployment, making Saturday’s plenary commitment a decisive milestone for the spiritual capital’s economic ecosystem.

Pairing Vocational Skills With Deregulated Market Entry and Employment Incentives

The upcoming commissioning of CMC Fès-Meknès complements broader economic and social reforms unveiled by the Finance Minister during the same parliamentary sitting, notably replacing administrative licensing barriers with transparent technical specifications for young investors and allowing low-income households receiving 600-dirham monthly social aid to combine state support with formal employment.

Equipped with simulated training enterprises and modern workshops, the Fès-Meknès City of Trades and Skills is slated to train cohorts in digital technology and artificial intelligence, high-value traditional craftsmanship, hospitality and tourism, agro-processing, and industrial maintenance tailored to the region’s comparative strengths.