FIELD OF INTERVENTION: Socio-economic Development, Professional Training, Environmental Protection
GEOGRAPHICAL AREA: MENA (Middle East & North Africa), Egypt, Cairo
SHORT DESCRIPTION OF THE PROJECT: The project aims at counteracting environmental degradation, also caused by industrial activities, in Egyptian pre-desert areas, increasing at the same time local employment and entrepreneurial opportunities, with a particular focus on youth and women, through the strengthening of the Green Economy sector. The goal is to support stable and sustainable youth employment providing, through training activities, new professional and technical qualifications or strengthening those already existing.
The project is based on the analysis of the existing gap between schools and training centers, on the one hand, and the demand from the labor market, on the other hand. Egyptian training centers, in fact, do not keep abreast with the process of technological innovation which affected the world of work, particularly in the industrial sector, thus hindering the match between supply and demand on the labor market, between unemployed youth and enterprises.
Considering that renewable energies are a growing sector in Egypt, local manpower, if appropriately trained, could be easily employed, putting environmental protection at the core of a development process based on new employment possibilities, even in a self-entrepreneurship perspective. Of course, such a process should be supported by institutions, trough resolutions and regulations adopted by the ministries involved, and through the creation of ad hoc funds.
OBJECTIVES: ● Counteract environmental degradation, also caused by industrial activities, in Egyptian pre-desert areas, increasing at the same time employment opportunities, with a particular focus on youth and women. ● Increase local employment through the strengthening of Green Circular Economy and provide support to socio-economic development through targeted concrete actions. ● Support stable and sustainable employment for youth, promoting new and updated technical and scientific competencies, reducing high unemployment rates, offering a better and innovative professional training offer.
ACTIVITIES:
- Coordinating, controlling, managing and monitoring the project.
- Start-up mission.
- Conference on “Green Jobs”.
- Trade union seminar.
- Conference with the Ministry of Labor and ETUF trade union.
- Training seminar for “Green Economy”.
RESULTS:
- An international seminar on “Green Jobs”, sustainable development, economy, employment and environment in the Mediterranean Basin, with presentation of the project and future activities, with the participation of representatives of the academia, international organizations, trade unions, Egyptian institutions and social partners, was organized and held.
- A seminar with all the Egyptian trade unions, was organized and held.
- A conference with the Ministry of Labor and the Egyptian trade union ETUF for planning further training activities, was organized and held.
- A training seminar on green economy and renewable energies, with the participation of selected youth (50% of whom were women), also in the perspective of future synergies and collaboration with the Italian entrepreneurial environment, was implemented.
PARTNERSHIP: Lead applicant: Progetto Sud. Partners: Egyptian Green Building Council (EGBC), Renviron Foundation, Confindustria AssAfrica & Mediterraneo.
TIME PERIOD/DURATION: 1/11/2015 – 31/03/2018.
DONOR: Prosolidar Foundation
