OFPPT stands for Office de la formation professionnelle et de la promotion du travail. In English: the Office for Vocational Training and Work Promotion. It is Morocco’s public vocational-training operator, created on 21 May 1974 and headquartered in Casablanca. Its own key-figures page lists more than 500 establishments, more than 418,000 training places, more than 460 trades and more than 10,000 staff, and puts its share of the country’s public training offer at over 90% (ofppt.ma, read October 2026). If a Moroccan CV mentions a “diplôme OFPPT”, it means a state-recognised vocational qualification from this network.
What each word in the name means
- Office: a public establishment. The founding text makes it “un établissement public doté de la personnalité morale et de l’autonomie financière”, placed under the government authority in charge of labour.
- Formation professionnelle: vocational training, as opposed to the general school and university track.
- Promotion du travail: work promotion. In the 1974 text this covers informing, guiding and selecting candidates for training, and the reconversion professionnelle, or retraining, of workers already in jobs. The same article also gives the office the organisation and supervision of apprenticeship.
Legal basis
OFPPT was instituted by dahir portant loi n° 1-72-183 of 28 rebia II 1394 (21 May 1974), published in Bulletin officiel n° 3213 of 29 May 1974, page 893. Article 3 of that text set up a tripartite board chaired by the labour minister, with 28 members: 14 representing the State, 7 the workers and 7 the employers. The office was reorganised in 2003, and the Technicien spécialisé level (Bac+2) dates from 1993.
Diploma levels and what each one requires
Initial training leads to four diploma levels. Entry conditions as published by OFPPT:
| Level | Length | Minimum schooling | Age limit at 1 September |
|---|---|---|---|
| Technicien spécialisé (specialised technician) | 2 years | Baccalauréat or equivalent, or a Technicien diploma via the bridge system | 30 |
| Technicien (technician) | 2 years | Completed the second year of the baccalauréat cycle, or a Qualification diploma via the bridge system | 30 |
| Qualification | 24 months | Third year of lower secondary (collège), or a Spécialisation diploma via the bridge system | 30, or 32 via the bridge system |
| Spécialisation | Not specified | Sixth year of primary school | Between 15 and 30 |
The système de passerelles is a bridge mechanism, governed by a ministerial circular, that lets the strongest trainees move up a level. Diplomas are issued in Arabic and French and require an average of at least 10 out of 20.
Around those four levels sit a vocational baccalauréat (Bac Pro, open from the tronc commun year), a lower-secondary track (parcours collégial), short qualifying courses of three to nine months, and evening classes (cours du soir) that lead to the same diploma as day courses. Evening entry at Technicien spécialisé level requires the baccalauréat or a recognised technician diploma, a minimum age of 20 and at least one year of work experience.
How the training is delivered
OFPPT runs three modes:
- Hybrid: theory is taught mostly at a distance, 60% on average and up to 100% in digital, commerce and management courses, with up to 40% of the programme kept in person for hands-on work.
- Residential: everything happens in the establishment, plus company internships.
- Alternance: half the training in the establishment, half in a company.
The catalogue follows Morocco’s growth sectors: digital services and offshoring; automotive and aerospace; construction and civil works; tourism, hospitality and catering; textiles and leather; agriculture, agri-food and fishing; health and paramedical trades; administrative services, finance and commerce; traditional crafts. Qualifications are state-recognised and accepted either for further study or for direct entry into the labour market.
Who pays: the vocational training tax
The main funding source is the Taxe de formation professionnelle (TFP), a levy on private-sector payroll collected through CNSS. It was created by decree n° 2-73-633 of 22 May 1974, printed in the same Bulletin officiel as the founding dahir. The current rate sits in the employer column of the CNSS contribution rates guide. State subsidies and own revenues complete the budget.
Employers get part of that money back through the Contrats spéciaux de formation (CSF), which reimburse training for staff already in post. Two dates matter: the access request for year N can be filed from October of year N-1, and the reimbursement file must reach OFPPT’s CSF unit by 31 December of year N+1.
Cités des métiers et des compétences
The newest part of the network is the regional Cités des métiers et des compétences (CMC). According to OFPPT’s own timeline, three of them started operating in 2022, in Souss-Massa, the Oriental and Laâyoune-Sakia El Hamra, and the Rabat-Salé-Kénitra one was inaugurated in 2023.
Services for learners
OFPPT offers an online registration portal, scholarships and accommodation for eligible learners, graduate-insertion support through partnerships with employers, and continuous training later in a career.
Coordination with other bodies
OFPPT works closely with:
- ANAPEC for placement of graduates; see the ANAPEC glossary entry and the IDMAJ first-job scheme;
- CNSS for collecting the TFP levy;
- professional federations that help define job families and reference skills.
References
- Official site: ofppt.ma, key figures, history, entry conditions, training levels and CSF pages, read 8 October 2026
- Founding text: dahir portant loi n° 1-72-183 of 21 May 1974 and decree n° 2-73-633 of 22 May 1974, Bulletin officiel n° 3213 of 29 May 1974, pages 893 to 895
- French Wikipedia article: Office de la formation professionnelle et de la promotion du travail