Unemployed young Algerians and aspiring entrepreneurs now have the opportunity to realize their ambitions and start their working lives through the new Djazair (Algeria) Ta3mal (djazair.ta3mal.com) employability portal.  Founded in April 2012 by Silatech and Microsoft, Ta3mal is a regional network with specialized country online portals developed for Egypt, Qatar, Iraq, Tunisia, Algeria, Palestine and Morocco. Silatech and Microsoft are regional co-partners, while at the local level, over 65 partners from the non-profit, educational, governmental and private sectors provide specialized content, job opportunities and access to services appropriate for each country.

Silatech is a regional social initiative that works to create jobs and expand economic opportunities for young people throughout the Arab world.

In Algeria, Ta3mal is being implemented in partnership with Emploitic, World Learning and AIESEC, who will bring their knowledge and expertise in training, supervision and support for young people, contribute to content development, and ensure that Djazair Ta3mal is adapted for the specific needs of young Algerian job seekers and entrepreneurs.

Youth unemployment is a longstanding and acute problem in the Arab world. At 30 percent, Arab countries have the highest rate of youth unemployment of any region in the world. According to the International Labour Organisation, youth unemployment in Algeria stands at 24 percent.

Djazair Ta3mal provides job seekers with career guidance and advisory services, skills training, and access to over 700 online courses in order to enhance their professional skills, in addition to openings for entry level jobs. The portal offers young entrepreneurs essential information about how to set up and finance a business. Importantly, Djazair Ta3mal offers employers the opportunity to recruit qualified young job seekers that meet their employment needs.

At a Wednesday ceremony launching Djazair Ta3mal, Ta3mal National Project Manager Ghizlane Zouai said: “Young Algerians using Djazair Ta3mal will benefit from free and easy access to a wealth of tools that will help ease their path into the world of work or entrepreneurship. I would like to thank all the partners who are providing the tools and expertise that make Djazair Ta3mal an invaluable resource for both young job seekers as well as employers.”

Yehia Houry, Ta3mal Regional Manager at Silatech, said enthusiastically: “We are very pleased to welcome Algeria into a growing network of employability platforms that has engaged more than one million young people across the region. We look forward to growing our partner base in Algeria to help us achieve our mission of supporting young people to find jobs or open their own businesses.”

Following a demonstration of the Djazair Ta3mal platform at the Wednesday launch, university student Ons Gharbi said, “We see that Djazair Ta3mal is rich in content, and a different type of platform from other job sites. Youth need such a portal to help and guide them in their job search, as well as if they choose to become entrepreneurs and launch businesses.”