EEEA Challenge & Mission

Challenge:

Like many of its neighbours, Egypt’s unemployment rates are high. In fact, at least 750,000 jobs annually must be generated just to keep unemployment constant.

Youth, who often lack practical job skills and an appropriate education, face the stiffest challenge in entering the workforce. In tough job markets, employers seek much more than the ability to work on a computer or answer a phone. They expect a strong work ethic, effective communication skills, leadership and team spirit – skills and assets students are often not taught in the classroom.

At the same time, employment in Egypt is changing rapidly. By 2015, government employment is expected to drop rapidly from 43 to 24 percent. During those ten years, the private sector, outside of agriculture, should generate eight million new jobs. Yet, Egyptian employers have noted consistently that the growth and vitality of their businesses are hampered by the lack of highly skilled graduates. In addition, eighty percent of private employment is expected to be in small and medium enterprises, making entrepreneurial skills a priority.

Our Mission:

The Egyptian Education and Employment Alliance (EEEA), led by Nahdet El Mahrousa, brings together the best ideas and resources of the public, private and non-profit sectors to meet these challenges. EEEA’s main goal is to support and develop innovative, scalable programs that will better prepare the graduates of Egyptian Universities and vocational track students for quality employment in the global economy.

To achieve its mission, EEEA works on the premise of shared responsibility and shared benefits. It provides seed funding for public-private partnerships supporting innovative pilot programs that bridge the gap between the classroom and the office.

All programs are designed to be replicated or expanded to a national or even international level. Strong support from public sector institutions that make such expansion possible is a key component of EEEA’s strategic approach.