On Friday, May 22, the official launch of the revamped Tounes Ta3mal youth employability platform took place in front of an audience of over 150 job seekers and students, along with representatives from career centers and universities, NGOs, and the Ministry of Higher Education & Scientific Research.

The original Tounes Ta3mal (tounes.ta3mal.com) was launched in October 2013 by regional co-founders Silatech and Microsoft, connecting Tunisian youth with tools, resources, career guidance, training and job opportunities to help them launch careers and start businesses.

Version 2.0 of the platform offers a more complete end-to-end experience—from developing one’s career profile, access to career counseling online and in-person, e-learning courses, entrepreneurship training, advice on preparing a CV, and job openings relevant to youth just starting their careers—all with a more accessible and easy to use interface.

This new version was made possible thanks to the contribution of initiative partners Edupartage, MercyCorps, Education for Employment, AIESEC Tunisia, USAID, Ooredoo Tunisia, the American Chamber of Commerce (Tunisia), and ATUGE.

Tounes Ta3mal Project Manager Mohamed Ali Chebaane commented, “We are constantly seeking to improve Tounes Ta3mal by listening to and incorporating feedback from our users—young Tunisians—as well as from our local partners. Tounes Ta3mal 2.0 provides greater usability, more localized Tunisian content, and a wealth of rich new multimedia content which will assist youth in their search for employment.”

The launch was centered on content-driven workshops that demonstrated the resources on the platform. They covered important topics including:

• “Tamheed,” a psychometric assessment tool used to define important career choices;
• A unique workshop delivered by Mercy Corps on financial education as a critical factor for success;
• How to use the “Build Your Business” entrepreneurship curriculum as a first step in preparing to launch a startup business; and,
• The important role of Career Development Centers in universities to deliver key career counseling with the support of USAID, Pragma and the Ministry of Higher Education.

The day’s presentations concluded with an interactive panel of HR experts representing four major Tunisian companies including Orange, Land d’Or, Crown Cork & Seal and Bonna Tunisia. They shared practical advice about the Tunisian labor market, CV writing techniques, job search skills, and techniques for a successful job interview. The youth in the audience had the opportunity to ask them questions and engage in an active dialogue.

Thanks to contributions from over 65 local partners, Ta3mal now has specialized country portals developed for Egypt, Qatar, Iraq, Tunisia, Palestine and Morocco, with the latest being launched in May 2015 in Algeria. Over 4000 employers from throughout the region are now registered on the Ta3mal network, posting almost 58,000 job opportunities since Ta3mal’s inception.

In Tunisia, Ta3mal is connected with the “Najja7ni Employment” mobile app launched by Ooredoo Tunisia (formerly Tunisiana), which provides quick and easy access from 2G mobile phones to English language assessments, career guidance, and job opportunities.