Country: Egypt
Client: Sequa / BMZ
Project duration: 12/22 - 11/25
Overall project value:  1.200.000,00 € 

Background of Skills4Trends

The project "Skills4Trends - Promoting Skills Development for New Labour Market Trends in Egypt " is a PartnerAfrica-Project within the framework of the Special Initiative “Decent Work for a Just Transition” of the Federal Ministry for Economic Development and Cooperation (BMZ) between Internationaler Bund e.V. (IB) / Industrie- und Handelskammer Projektgesellschaft Ostbrandenburg (IHK-PG) and the Alexandria Business Association (ABA) / Sadat City Investors Association (SCIA). The aim of the special initiative is to use innovative formats and flexible instruments to strengthen the conditions for private investment and to create more and better employment opportunities for the rapidly growing young population in Africa. Sequa is responsible to the BMZ for the implementation and quality management of the PartnerAfrica projects.

With 'Egypt Vision 2030', the Egyptian government has formulated a national strategy for sustainable development with the pillars of economic development, education and training, social justice, knowledge, innovation and scientific research. However, in order to create sufficient jobs and remunerative incomes for all population groups in the long term, further steps are needed to stimulate the private sector.

This is where the Skills4Trends project comes in, which is intended to help create a modern and attractive range of services by linking up with new technological trends, thus bringing more young people into employment, improving working conditions and meeting labour market needs in the process. Increased involvement of women and inclusive vocational education and training that integrates people with special needs are to be specifically addressed by the project. In order to achieve the planned sub-goals, the project plans to draw on the experience of 'EconoWin' - a GIZ project to promote women's employment through applied gender diversity management in companies in the MENA region.

Objectives of Skills4Trends

The overall objective of the project is: Through education and training on new (digital) technologies, the employability of Egyptian youth and adults as well as the sustainability of selected enterprises will be improved.

The project objective is: In the northern region of Egypt (with a focus on Alexandria, Beheira and Marsa Matrouh), the Alexandria Business Association (ABA) / Vocational Training and Employment Center (VTEC) and the Sadat City Investors Association (SCIA) promote sustainable decent employment through education and training geared towards future technological labour market trends, incubation and partnerships with selected enterprises.

Intended project outcomes are:

1. ABA/VTEC and SCIA empower job seekers and special groups (e.g. women and people with special needs) to competently enter the labour market and apply for jobs professionally.
2. The partners ABA/VTEC and SCIA develop and adapt courses on the identified new technological trends that meet the needs of the labour market and integrate them in a sustainable way.
3. Stimulate the creation and management of start-ups working on new technological trends.
4. Systematic partnerships between ABA/VTEC, SCIA and at least 60 companies create sustainable conditions for decent work and practical training.

Approach

The final target group includes job-seeking youth and young adults, mainly in the northern region around Alexandria and Sadat City, as well as self-employed people, entrepreneurs and their workers from the region; who are trained and further educated in the new technologies. Finally, apprentices of the dual system in the partner schools benefit from the modernised complementary modules. Especially women and people with special needs (e.g. with disabilities) are explicitly advised, supported and accompanied into the labour market.

Type of Services Provided

• Training programme for careers advisors and/or vocational school teachers
• Design and implementation of a mentoring programme and special campaigns for special groups (women, people with special needs)
• Identification of potential employers for the target group, job matching services including analysis and provision of labour market information
• Creation of individual support plans according to the individual needs of the target group
• Promotion of vocational training practice and vocational training theory, support with language and educational deficits
• Socio-educational support
• Parent work and collaboration with network partners
• Comparative study (Egypt - Germany) on the employment potential of new technologies and the lack of vocational training opportunities (gap analysis)
• Conception and implementation of supplementary (short) courses on new technologies for the various target groups
• Supplementary modules for (dual) vocational training programmes
• Short additional courses for jobseekers
• Development of business models for new technologies
• Training of "incubation pilots"
• Training on business start-ups and entrepreneurship in connection with new technologies
• Start-up promotion
• Development of business partnerships through business organisations
• Sensitisation measures for diversity management and gender equality in companies (public relations work/ female role models)