Thematic areas: Youth Development, Education, Employment, ICT.
Country: Egypt
In 2014, according to CAPMAS, the Egyptian population has reached 87 million, growing 18% in eight years. The male to female ratio is almost equal, with some 45 million of each sex. With rising population levels, more jobs are needed each year. The official unemployment rate in Egypt reached unprecedented high of 13.3% in the second quarter of 2014. Some of the major causes of unemployment in Egypt are overpopulation and the lack of proper education and sufficient training upon graduation.
Masr Ta3mal, meaning “Egypt Works”, is an initiative that focuses on developing the skills of Egyptian youth to increase their chances of employment. The focus of Masr Ta3mal initiative targets the largest youth segment which is aged between 15-29. The main aim of Masr Ta3mal initiative is to provide full employability eco-system and to empower the youth of Egypt and help them follow their goals in employment.
This is achieved firstly through the institutionalized career centers provided by the Egyptian Ministry of Youth and Sports in which the following activities take place: Career Advising, ICT Trainings, Business Development Trainings, Capacity Building, Job Placement, sessions on Entrepreneurship and Startups. The aim of these activities is to bridge the gap between the educational system and the job market needs in Egypt. These career centers commonly known as ‘youth centers’ are owned by The Egyptian Ministry of Youth and Sports. There are youth centers which cover all the governorates in Egypt and it has access to a very large number of youth. This makes it suitable and easy to reach for youth from all around the country.
Masr Ta3mal has created a full cycle for youth development that works as follows:
Career coaching online and offline sessions to define the youth personal skills and professional interest and to create career development plan.
Online Diplomas and courses in IT, Languages, Business and soft skills.
Job Matching tool to connect youth with employers.
Entrepreneurial online and offline trainings to introduce the entrepreneurial thinking to Egyptian youth and to build the capacity of Egyptian young entrepreneurs.
Civic Engagement activities to raise the awareness about extracurricular activities for students and the importance of volunteering for fresh graduates and young professionals through Masr Ta3mal mentorship program and Masr Ta3mal Youth Program.
Masr Ta3mal Proto-type centers (Physical centers) provide:
IT centers to provide IT trainings for youth to help them increase their efficiency and productivity.
Business & career centers to provide career development and to align their education with demand in the labor market.
Entrepreneurship centers to instill problem-solving skills, entrepreneurship and management capacity and the value of self-employment.
Masr Ta3mal also has its own employability portal which is made accessible for the youth for further learning and services. The centers feed the portal with local content. It also creates a national youth network for employability the youth for further learning and services.
The key achievement of Masr Ta3mal so far as follows:
- 67 Masr Ta3mal Proto-type centers (physical centers) in 26 governorates
- 80 IT Centers in 27 governorates
- Reach 1,121,135 youth, got access to 133,621 and up skilled 30,976 youth
- 16,902 vacancies from December 2013 till 5th of February, 2015
- 323 Career Guides
- 850 Digital Literacy Trainers
- 230 Build Your Business Trainers
- 993 entrepreneurial beneficiaries
- Masr Ta3mal Youth Group in 9 Universities with 350 members
- 120 potential social entrepreneurs
- 350 students trained on social entrepreneurship who will be able to raise the awareness of 15000 Student about Social entrepreneurship.
- Partners: Ministry of Youth and Sports, UNDP, Silatech.
Website: www.masr.ta3mal.com