**1. Introduction**

This article relates to the analysis of the policies and practices of technical education and vocational training in the face of the challenges of the socioprofessional integration of girls in the Republic of Guinea. As such, it will attempt to shed light on the three main dimensions of the issue of the socio-professional integration of girls, namely the policies of Technical Education and Vocational Training (ETFP), training practices within TVET systems, and the degree of socioprofessional integration of the products of TVET systems in general and of girls in particular. The methodology used was based on a review and a documentary analysis accompanied by a survey on the motivation of young people for entrepreneurship, which made it possible to:


The issue of employment and integration largely depends on the foundations and performance of economic and social policies and therefore on the economic, political, and social contexts of a country. The development of young people's skills and the provision of instruments allowing their integration into the world of work is one of the most effective means of making profitable and securing socio-economic investments. The issue of employment largely depends on the foundations and performance of the countries' economic and social policies.

For the Ministry of Labour, Full Employment and Integration (France), the employment situation of young people aged from 15 to 24 depends primarily on their qualifications. In fact, the unemployment rate for low-educated people is almost three times higher than that of educated people, while the least educated are the first to suffer the consequences of the labor market. This is why professional and social integration is a fundamental process for long-term access to employment so that young people who have left the school system without a diploma or qualification develop their talent and gain access to the world of work.

The demography of young people aged 15–24 in Africa is estimated by 2050 at 437,000,000 out of 1,324,242,424, i.e. 33% of young people. In Guinea, almost half of the inhabitants are under 15 years old. The youth of the population is an opportunity for the country and its development, but it is above all an educational challenge because each year, a majority of children leave the school system without qualifications or the possibility of continuing their career in vocational training.

In Guinea, almost half of the inhabitants are under 15 years old. The youth of the population is an opportunity for the country and its development, but it is above all an educational challenge because each year, a majority of children leave the school system without qualifications or the possibility of continuing their career in vocational training.

Vocational and technical training remains in deficit, unsuitable, and poorly funded. Yet the youth unemployment rate is 70%. Faced with this situation, solutions must be found. Thus, the integration of youth is nowadays at the heart of policies for several public and private administrations. In the Republic of Guinea, despite the implementation of successful initiatives, efforts are still to be made in this area. It is worth mentioning the existence of projects and programs intervening in this field. These include INTEGRA (socio-economic integration of young people) and ASCAD

#### *Perspective Chapter: Technical and Vocational Training Policies and Practices Facing... DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.5772/intechopen.112446*

(Civic Service Agency for Actions for Development). For the purposes of this article, we describe only one initiative, that of the INTEGRA program.

The INTEGRA program aims to contribute for initiating new dynamics in socioeconomic development in Guinea. Initiated jointly by the Government of Guinea and the European Union under the Emergency Trust Fund for Africa, INTEGRA creates opportunities for Guinean youth through preparation for professional life in schools, the construction of infrastructure economies, vocational training, the creation of sustainable jobs and the development of entrepreneurship. This economic development and job creation program will quickly put young people (apprentice workers) to work, giving them immediate means of subsistence, *via* high-intensity labor sites (HIMO).

The purpose of these worksites will be infrastructure meeting the needs of public and private economic operators (determined *via* the establishment of socio-economic development plans developed on the basis of local authority plans) and will employ people from local communities, as well as returning migrants wishing to reintegrate into their community. These are training sites: apprentice workers acquire skills (professional, entrepreneurial, human development, financial, etc.) through an integration process that will help them find post-project employment. Entrepreneurs who participate in the integration process (*via* personalized support and coaching) will have the opportunity to consolidate their business, (local) entrepreneurial development, and job creation.

Guinea is located in the southwest of West Africa and is bounded to the west by the Atlantic Ocean for more than 300 km, to the northwest by Guinea-Bissau, to the north by Senegal and Mali, to the east by Côte d'Ivoire and to the south by Liberia and Sierra Leone. It covers an area of 245,857 km<sup>2</sup> . According to the General Census of Population and Housing (RGPH) of 2014 [1] the population is estimated at 10,628,972 inhabitants, 70% of whom live in rural areas. It is relatively young since more than 74% are under 35 years old. The risk of never having been to school is relatively higher for girls (52% of 5–16-year-olds). Indeed, the results from the MICS (Multiple Indicator Cluster Survey) surveys of 2016 [2] indicate that if, among 5–16-year-olds, 40% have never been to school [3], this proportion is 43% among girls and 38% among boys (**Figure 1**).

**Figure 1.** *Map of the Republic of Guinea.*
