Defying the fierce opposition of my family, I dared to take an unexpected path after leaving secondary school: towards electromechanics and industrial maintenance. My passion for machines and my relentless desire to pursue my dream were the driving forces behind my quest, while I faced enormous challenges in achieving my goal.
My parents couldn't understand why I wanted to leave secondary education to embark on vocational training. They had big plans for me to pursue a more conventional career. They feared I wouldn't succeed in a field dominated mainly by men, and they doubted my ability to persevere down this path.
At the Bizerte vocational training center, I worked hard and practiced my technical skills at every opportunity. I surrounded myself with mentors and fellow students who believed in me, which helped me to stay motivated throughout my journey.I also had to deal with a lot of gender stereotyping.
Job hunting was even more of a challenge. Finding opportunities in industrial maintenance wasn't easy, especially as a woman.
During this period, every little victory meant a lot to me. Every time I fixed an appliance that broke down in our house, I felt proud and showed my parents how much I could achieve in this area. I was always looking for problems to solve and projects to do at home to showcase my skills.
This job fair* put me in direct contact with well-known companies looking for specific skills, which should make it easier for us to find jobs that are in line with our training. After the interviews I've had, I feel very optimistic and hope that one of my applications will be accepted.
 

Faten Majdoubi- Industrial Maintenance technician - Bizerte Training and Apprenticeship Center.

*The Bizerte Job Fair (05/31/2023) is the fruit of collaboration between the Tunisian agency for vocational training (ATFP), private sector companies, and USAID Tunisia JOBS. The event brought 342 young people into direct contact with 47 partner companies.