Egypt, WFP organize initiative to empower 500 youths in vulnerable areas to join labor force

CAIRO - 9 March 2022: In an effort to address unemployment in vulnerable areas, train and empower young people to enter the labor force, World Food Programme (WFP) has been organizing 29 training courses in 5 provinces, as part of a nation-wide project that aims to advance youth skills. The initiative is being implemented under the supervision of the Ministry of Manpower and WFP and in collaboration with Qodra, a leading training and skills development company.

 

By adopting an advanced training approach that upgrades the training curriculum for different professions, integrates digital technology and educational sources, the project titled, “Your Skills are the Foundation of Your Career”, seeks to build capacities for cadres and trainers in different directorates and training centers in specialized vocational areas supervised by Ministry of Manpower.

 

“Through this project, the Ministry of Manpower seeks to address the problem of unemployment, and training is an important pillar for solving this complex problem. Before starting this training, we, in coordination with WFP, had studied the labor market to identify the required occupations, specialties, and technical skills, and we came up with these training programs that are now being implemented,” Mohammed Anwar, Undersecretary of the Ministry of Manpower in Beni Suef Province said during a field visit organized by the United Nations Information Centre in Cairo in partnership with WFP.

 

The field visit included several training units: sewing and embroidery workshop, mobile maintenance, air conditioning and refrigeration, as well as a mobile training unit at Nasser Centre, Ashment Village (affiliated with Hayat Karimah presidential initiative).

 

According to WFP,” Your skills are the foundation of your career “initiative supports and empowers young people with the needed skills for 8 different occupations, with the first phase of the project aimed at building the skills of about 500 young men and women in the 18-34 age group in five provinces.

 

“As part of an agreement with the Ministry of Manpower, WFP has been implementing an initiative launched by His Excellency Minister Mohamed Saafan, Minister of Manpower. In its first stage, the project aims to empower young people with the required skills so that they can enter the labor force in the private sector and new fields, and we aim to develop the training centers of the Ministry of Manpower, operating in almost all Egyptian governorates. In collaboration with the Ministry of Manpower, we are trying to integrate technology into the training process, by updating training curricula, introducing modern teaching tools, developing equipment used in training, and connecting with private sector companies," noted Doaa Arafa, Head of Social Protection Program at WFP.

 

The training also includes the development of soft skills for trainees, including communication, problem-solving, and other skills that help them enter the labor market. Moreover, specialized trainers and consultants are being recruited in cooperation with Qadra, a leading skills training company, as well as several private sector partners, such as Ghabor, Toshiba AlAraby and Hilton, in parallel with the role of the competent trainers of the Ministry of Manpower.

 

Through WFP-Ministry of Manpower cooperation, the national project is meant to strengthen institutional capacities and train ministry teams at different directorates, vocational training centers, and labor offices. The project also aims to implement modern training programs to develop the young people’s capacities and skill kits, create meaningful partnerships with the private sector, and to maximize the use technology.