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CONFERENCE MOBILIZES LEADERS, INNOVATORS TO ADDRESS ARAB YOUTH EMPLOYMENT

With unemployment among Arab youth the highest of any region in the world—climbing above 29 percent in 2014, over 350 leaders and practitioners from civil society, government, and the private sector have gathered in Amman to share innovative and effective approaches to addressing the region’s youth employment challenge.

Organized by regional social initiative Silatech and hosted by the International Youth Foundation (IYF), the three-day conference on Arab Youth Employment: Promoting Innovative Solutions to Longstanding Challenges was launched today in Amman’s Landmark Hotel. The conference is being sponsored by the World Bank’s Solutions for Youth Employment Coalition and the Americana Group. It is also supported by the Jordan Chamber of Industry.

The conference will give special attention to the process of developing successful youth employment policies and initiatives, and creating opportunities for practitioners to replicate and grow effective programs throughout the region.

Silatech Acting CEO Mohammed Al Naimi welcomed delegates from over 30 countries at the opening of the conference, stressing the importance of learning from the experiences of others in order to design programs and policies that directly improve the economic prospects of young people. He stated: “We are gathered here in Amman for two main reasons. One, to share our findings and insights about the effectiveness of various youth-serving programs and policies; and, two, to form collaborations and partnerships to scale up and replicate successful programs. Knowledge sharing and action must be linked closely together if we are to achieve real and lasting impact for the youth of our region.”

Said International Youth Foundation CEO William S. Reese, “We’re here to discuss current trends, gaps, and best practice approaches for providing today’s Arab youth with the training and support they need to succeed in the face of high rates of youth unemployment across the region. Experience tells us there are no quick fixes, but that by working together—combining our collective resources and expertise—there’s much we can do to create opportunities for an emerging generation of youth with much to contribute to their communities and nations.”

During the day’s first plenary session—“Rethinking the Youth Employment Challenge”— HE Dr. Nidal Katamine, Minister of Labor of Jordan, Dr. Omar Razzaz, Chairman of the Board of Directors of Jordan Ahli Bank, and HE Dr. Talal Abu Ghazaleh, Founder and Chair of the Talal Abu Ghazaleh Organization, discussed why the youth employment challenge has been such a longstanding and difficult problem for the region, and ways in which the public sector, private sector, civil society and the NGO community can work together to address the issue.

During the three-day conference, participants will share lessons and experiences about a wide variety of topics related to youth employment, including the following:

  • Innovations in youth enterprise financing;
  • Engaging the private sector for youth employment;
  • The importance of monitoring and evaluation of programs;
  • Achieving scale and resilience in employment initiatives through technology;
  • Partnerships in policy making;
  • Enabling entrepreneurship ecosystems and alliances;
  • Private sector-driven solutions for scaling up initiatives.

Contributing partners leading sessions during the three-day conference include the World Bank, the International Labor Organization, Oasis 500 (Jordan), Tamweelcom (Jordan), Mowgli (UK), Save the Children, United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), Beyond Reform and Development (Lebanon), the Abdul Latif Jameel Poverty Action Lab (USA), Ahead of the Curve (Egypt), Tawasul (Oman), the RAND Corporation (USA), and Future First Global. Furthermore, policy makers from Egypt, Jordan, Iraq, Palestine, and Saudi Arabia are participating in the conference.

REGIONAL CONFERENCE TO BOOST ARAB YOUTH EMPLOYMENT

Policy makers, NGO representatives, and private sector leaders from over 30 countries will gather in Amman from April 28-30 to share solutions and form partnerships to address the challenge of youth unemployment in the Arab world. Organized by regional social initiative Silatech and hosted by the International Youth Foundation (IYF), the “Arab Youth Employment: Promoting Innovative Solutions to Longstanding Challenges” conference will showcase innovative, evidence-based approaches to youth employment that are being implemented by leading youth-serving organizations from throughout the region and the world. The conference is being sponsored by the World Bank and the Americana Group. It is also supported by the Jordan Chamber of Industry.

While youth unemployment is a global challenge, the need for scalable, effective youth employment programs is particularly urgent in the Arab world, as youth unemployment in the Arab countries is the highest of any region in the world, and continues to grow. The jobless rate among Arab youth has increased from 24% in 2009 to 29% in 2014, while entrepreneurship has declined over the same period.

During the three-day conference, participants will share lessons and experiences about a wide variety of topics related to youth employment, including financing for young entrepreneurs, engaging the private sector for youth skills development, the benefits of technology in employment solutions, social enterprises and inclusive business models, and many more. The conference will give special attention to the process of creating successful youth employment policies and initiatives and creating opportunities for practitioners to replicate and grow effective programs throughout the region.

Acting Silatech CEO Mohammed Al Naimi and International Youth Foundation CEO William S. Reese will open the conference with welcoming remarks on Tuesday, April 28. A member of the Silatech Board of Trustees and Executive Committee, Mohammed Al Naimi became Acting CEO of Silatech on April 1 following the recent departure of Dr. Tarik M. Yousef, who served as Silatech CEO from mid-2011 through March 2015.

High profile policy makers slated to address the event will include HE Dr. Nidale Katamine, Minister of Labor (Jordan), HE Eng. Adel Fakeih, Minister of Labor (KSA), and HE Dr. Talal Abu Ghazaleh, Founder and Chair of the Talal Abu Ghazaleh Organization (Jordan). Other policy makers from Egypt, Jordan, Iraq, Palestine, and Saudi Arabia will be participating in the conference as well.

Leading organizations represented at the conference will include the World Bank, the International Labor Organization, Oasis 500 (Jordan), Tamweelcom (Jordan), Mowgli (UK), Save the Children, United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), Beyond Reform and Development (Lebanon), the Abdul Latif Jameel Poverty Action Lab (USA), Ahead of the Curve (Egypt), Tawasul (Oman), Rwaq (KSA), the RAND Corporation (USA), Al Amal Microfinance Bank (Yemen), Ruwwad (Jordan), the Jordan Federation of Tourism Associations, Bayt.com, Injaz Jordan, MicroCred (Tunisia), World Learning, the Egyptian National Competitiveness Council, Silicon Baadia, IHEC Carthage (Tunisia), and GIZ (Germany).

Conference registration is open now. For more information about “Arab Youth Employment: Promoting Innovative Solutions to Longstanding Challenges,” see the conference Website at www.aye2015.org.

INEQUALITY OF OPPORTUNITY IN EDUCATION AND YOUTH EMPLOYMENT IN MENA

This paper updates the earlier literature on youth transitions from school to work in MENA countries in light of new evidence on inequality of opportunity.

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TOUNES TA3MAL WELCOMES THE BRCP AS LOCAL PARTNER

Silatech and Microsoft have partnered with the Business Reform & Competitiveness Project (BRCP), which is implemented by the international development organization Pragma Corporation, to boost support for the Tounes Ta3mal youth employability platform (www.tounesta3mal.com). The tripartite partnership was formally announced on March 5th at the Investment & Entrepreneurship Conference, an event organized by the American Chamber of Commerce in Tunisia, the PNB-NAPEO Tunisia local chapter and the U.S. State Department.

Youth unemployment is a longstanding and acute problem in the Arab world. At 29 percent, Arab countries have the highest rate of youth unemployment of any region in the world. The problem is especially acute in Tunisia, which according to the Tunisian government has a youth unemployment rate of 42.3 percent.

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, 64 partners from the non-profit, educational, governmental and private sectors provide specialized content, job opportunities and access to services appropriate for each country.

Launched in Tunisia in October 2013 in partnership with Edupartage, Tounes Ta3mal helps young job seekers by connecting them with tools, resources, career guidance, training and job opportunities. Under a new partnership agreement, BRCP, which is a 3-year program to increase employment in Tunisia and is completing its first year, will strengthen the Tounes Ta3mal network through capacity building for a number of Career Development Centers it has established with the Ministry of Higher Education through training and certification of career counselors; soft skills training; coaching and e-learning modules; and, assistance and mentoring for young entrepreneurs.

Friday, March 6th saw the first meeting of Tounes Ta3mal’s current partners and stakeholders, including Edupartage, AIESEC Tunisia, Mercy Corps, Pragma, EFE Tunisia, TAMSS and regional partners Silatech and Microsoft. Silatech Country Representative Ali Mnif announced the intention of formally launching a Tounes Ta3mal steering committee in the coming months, noting that “An essential source of strength for Tounes Ta3mal is its connection with and relevance to the local community. With this in mind, we welcome participation from any organization that is interested in helping us fulfill our mission of helping young people find employment and entrepreneurship opportunities.”

“With the launch of the new version of the platform in spring 2015 we are looking forward to developing richer content and new opportunities for Tunisian youth. We are also working to enrich this initiative with new public private and civil society partners for a stronger impact” added Mohamed Bridaa, Microsoft country manager.

“We are thrilled to be able to work with Silatech and Microsoft, along with the Ministry of Higher Education, to bring these innovative, cutting-edge, and continuously developing resources, tools, and expertise to the large number of unemployed university graduates in Tunisia whose knowledge and other talents need to be mobilized to assure Tunisia’s promising future.” Greg Hemphill, Chief of Party, BRCP.

SILATECH, IYF ANNOUNCE CONFERENCE ON JOBS, OPPORTUNITIES FOR ARAB YOUTH

Silatech, a regional social initiative, and the International Youth Foundation (IYF), a global youth development organization, are jointly announcing plans to hold a three-day conference designed to develop and implement solutions to the region’s growing youth unemployment crisis. The event, “Arab Youth Employment: Promoting Innovative Solutions to Longstanding Challenges,” is expected to draw over 350 delegates from throughout the Arab world, including representatives from leading NGOs and civil society organizations, policymakers, leaders from the private sector, researchers and the media to share insights and build effective partnerships to support Arab youth employment.

Youth unemployment in the Arab countries is the highest of any region in the world, and is growing. The jobless rate among Arab youth has increased from 24% in 2009 to 29% in 2014, while entrepreneurship has declined over the same period.

Organized by Silatech and hosted by IYF, the conference will be held at the Landmark Amman Hotel in Amman from April 28-30, 2015. This year’s event builds upon the success of the 2013 “Arab Youth & Entrepreneurship” conference in Doha, which brought together delegates from throughout the region to enhance youth entrepreneurship and economic opportunities at the grassroots level.

The conference itself is innovative in its approach, with a crowd-sourced agenda that features 18 sessions that are being organized by over 20 contributing partners – leading youth-serving organizations from across the region and the world.  The content will showcase the rich knowledge and innovative approaches that are being developed throughout the region.

The contributing partners organizing sessions at the conference include the World Bank, the International Labor Organization, Oasis 500, Tamweelcom, Mowgli, Save the Children, United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), the Abdul Latif Jameel Poverty Action Lab, Ahead of the Curve, and the RAND Corporation.

Silatech is a regional social initiative that works with partners throughout the Arab world to create jobs and expand economic opportunities for young people. The International Youth Foundation (IYF), founded in 1990, is a global leader in youth development focused on education, employment, and citizenship.

Silatech CEO Dr. Tarik M. Yousef described the purpose of the Arab Youth Employment conference, saying “Over the last decade, many initiatives have been introduced throughout the region to fight unemployment and provide opportunities to our youth. Unfortunately, very few of these have made any noticeable impacts at a national level.”

Describing his hopes for the regional gathering, he added: “It is now urgent for us—and I mean all of us—to learn from each other what types of programs work best, and then partner with others to replicate these programs, scale them up, and achieve substantial impact at the national and regional levels. We are proud to be working with IYF and others to bring together leading minds to innovate and find solutions that work.”

IYF’s CEO Bill Reese reinforced the larger purpose of the conference. “While facing great challenges, today’s Arab youth have the enormous potential to boost economic growth in their communities and across the region.  This event brings together the critical players, from every sector, who have the resources and expertise to ensure that potential is realized.  IYF looks forward to working with Silatech and many others to ensure millions more Arab youth have the skills and opportunities they need to find success in the workplace, build their own businesses, and contribute positively to society.”

For more information on the “Arab Youth Employment” conference, see www.aye2015.org.

SILATECH AND PARTNERS TRAIN SOMALI YOUTH EMPLOYMENT ADVISORS

Silatech and Somali NGO Shaqodoon recently concluded a program in Hargeisa, Somaliland, training 12 local advisors to implement the Tamheed career guidance program. Conducted from _26-29 January, 2015, the four-day program was the first-ever Tamheed training ever to be held in the Somali territories.

Silatech is a regional social initiative that works with partners throughout the Arab world to promote large-scale job creation, entrepreneurship, access to capital and markets, and the participation and engagement of young people in economic and social development. Since being founded in 2008, Silatech has financed over 104,000 youth-owned businesses, and created or sustained over 134,000 jobs.

Developed jointly by Silatech and UK-based Mindmill, Tamheed is a career guidance program that analyzes the personality and aptitudes of young people, and then helps to align these with available career paths. Tamheed is currently available through Silatech partnerships with universities, NGOs, and governmental institutions in Qatar, Egypt, Palestine, Jordan, Morocco, Tunisia, Algeria, Syria, Saudi Arabia, and now Somalia.

The Tamheed career guidance training comes as part of a larger partnership between Silatech, Shaqodoon, and the American Refugee Committee signed in June 2014 to develop a network of “One-Stop Shop” (OSS) centers for youth employment and business support services. Located in the main city centers of Hargeisa, Bosaso and Mogadishu, and easily accessible to both youth and employers, these OSS serve as knowledge and career guidance hubs for young job seekers and entrepreneurs, as well as for employers looking for skilled youth.

Services available for job seekers through these OSS include soft skills training, Tamheed career guidance and work placement, as well as financial literacy training. Young entrepreneurs are able to access entrepreneurship training, business development services, and linkages with partner microfinance institutions.

Twelve students took part during the last day of training, providing an opportunity for the newly-trained advisors to conduct career counseling sessions aimed at helping them choose a career. According to one student, Fahad Shaker, “This system is almost ‘magical’ in that it reflected my personality and behavior as they really are. The advisor helped me to identify my potential in only a short time, and gave me extremely valuable advice on what kind of careers might fit me best. Please make an effort to continue this kind of service for youth.”

Youth unemployment in the Arab World stands at 28 percent—the highest of any region in the world. Moreover, although they comprise around two-thirds of the labor force, the unemployment rate among young Somalis is one of the highest of any country in the entire world; according to a 2012 UNDP report, unemployment among Somalis aged 14-29 was 67 percent.

Shaqodoon is a youth-serving NGO that provides Somali youth with skills training, access to work, internships and self-employment opportunities. The American Refugee Committee (ARC) is an international humanitarian organization that has worked in Somalia since 2011, offering services to improve the well-being of families and communities.

“TAMM” VOLUNTEER NETWORK TO BOOST CULTURE OF CIVIC RESPONSIBILITY

The “Tamm” Volunteer Network was launched today at a press conference held in in Hamad bin Khalifa University Student Center. Co-founded by Silatech, the Social Development Centre (SDC), Reach out to Asia (ROTA), and the Qatar Center for Voluntary Activities (QCVA), Tamm was created to promote a shared vision of encouraging youth to give back to society through voluntary work and civic responsibility. The press conference was held in the presence of HE Sheikha Al Mayassa Al Thani, Chairperson of Qatar Museums, the Doha Film Institute and Reach Out to Asia (ROTA).

Tamm, which means “consider it done” in Arabic, brings together the currently existing volunteer programs and initiatives in Qatar into one comprehensive online database. Through the Tamm portal (www.tamm.qa), young people can search for the volunteer opportunities of most interest to them, understand what they can expect from their volunteer experience, and learn about the many benefits that can be gained through volunteering.

Tamm encourages all organizations interested in volunteering activities and with volunteer programs to join the Tamm network. By doing so, any organization can post its volunteer opportunities on the portal and find the best possible volunteers for their projects.

Tamm provides free training both to volunteers and member organizations, including expert training for youth as they progress from “beginner” to becoming “advanced” volunteers, as well as assistance in choosing the type of volunteer programs that best fit their interests and abilities, including valuable overseas volunteer opportunities. Tamm provides organizations with information about best practices in volunteer programs, and will organize an annual forum to keep member organizations updated on best practices, share experiences and discuss challenges.

In addition to building a shared sense of community and responsibility, volunteer programs give young people the chance to develop skills and gain valuable experience that will benefit them as they enter the working world. Many high schools require volunteering for their students as a requirement for graduation, and Tamm will help students in Qatar to meet these requirements.

According to Silatech CEO Dr. Tarik M. Yousef, “Volunteer programs give us the chance to give back to our community, to gain new friends and share new experiences, and, for young people, the opportunity to grow and develop valuable skills that will help ease their entry into adulthood and the working world. We look forward to strengthening the culture of volunteering in Qatar through the Tamm network.”

Ms. Amal Abdul Latif al-Mannai, Executive Director of the SDC and Chairperson of Tamm, commented “Volunteer work is a very commendable activity. Through people’s donation of their time vital work is achieved that wouldn’t often be otherwise.  That’s why the Social Development Center is proud to be a founding partner of Tamm Portal, through which we strive to involve Qatar’s young men and women in the development and assistance of their community. These programs are not designed to only help beneficiaries, but also to enhance our youth’s sense of belonging to their community, develop their abilities and skills, and provide the opportunity participate in decision making and prioritization, while expressing their thoughts about public issues. We wish all volunteers the best success in their efforts and looking forward to assisting them throughout.”

Essa Al Mannai, ROTA’s Executive Director, said: “ROTA is proud to be a co-founder of the landmark Tamm initiative alongside our good friends Silatech, the Social Development Center and Qatar Center for Voluntary Work. As the first online portal to match volunteers and high quality volunteering opportunities inside Qatar, Tamm makes an invaluable contribution to promoting a culture of volunteerism and social responsibility among the Qatar’s diverse youth. It will allow young people to experience the joys of volunteering, providing yet another opportunity to give back to the country that has given us so much.”

Aisha Al-Kuwari, Chairperson of the Qatar Center for Voluntary Activities, said “Tamm connects organizations interested in volunteering activities together with volunteers in order to bring future partnerships and new volunteer opportunities throughout Qatar. The network unifies the efforts from different organizations and provides them with best practices in volunteer programs. It is an official source to provide rich and fulfilling experience to volunteers, which serve the social, charitable and volunteer work in the country. Tamm will also help Qatar Center for Voluntary Activities in achieving our future plans and will be a centralized source of information and tools for volunteers’ organizations.”

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This paper presents an analysis of data from the ILO–Mastercard Foundation Work4Youth School to Work Transition Survey (SWTS) fielded in Egypt in November and December 2012.

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This paper investigates how three transitions (education, employment, and family formation) into adulthood have been evolving over time in Egypt, and how the nature of youth transitions relates to gender, social class, and educational attainment.

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This proceedings report summarizes findings of the Doha Evidence Symposium, held March 6-8, 2014, in which practitioners, academics and policy makers discussed the evidence for “what works” in terms of programs and policies aimed at improving employment outcomes for young people.

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