Making Graduates in Egypt, Libya and Palestine Ready for the Job Market

Objectives/Contributions:

Many Arab countries have to deal with discrepancies between the educational output and the actual needs of their labour markets. Introducing capacity-building trainings for new graduates is an optimal approach to bridge this gap, improve their skills and increase their marketability for industry or academia, which is the aim of the project by the AGYA Working Group Arab and German Education. 

After the great success in 2021 with three local training hubs in Egypt and Palestine, AGYA members Dr. Lobna Said, Prof. Dr. Shadi Albarqouni, Dr. Ali Elgayar and Dr. Mohammad Adm were delighted to continue this fruitful format by inviting fresh graduates from Egypt, Palestine – and this year also Libya – to participate in this practical training. 

"Participants of the online training"

The training had a hybrid character: an online workshop to maximize the number of participants was combined with intensive onsite training courses in four local hubs in Cairo, Gaza, Hebron, and Benghazi for selected outstanding trainees. High-ranking speakers and international experts from various backgrounds shaped the online workshop by sharing their knowledge and first-hand experiences serving as inspiring role models. In impulse lectures and panel discussions, they tackled the enhancement of marketability, the transition from academia to industry and international work opportunities. 

"Connecting local hubs in Cairo, Hebron, Gaza and Benghazi"

In local hubs in Cairo, Gaza, Hebron, and Benghazi, professional career consultants executed the onsite trainings covering topics such as interview, leadership, and entrepreneurship skills. Through applied hands-on methods, participants could practise mock interviews and get the chance to exchange experiences with their peers. 

This year, not only more graduates got the chance to participate in the trainings but also the geographical scope has been expanded, now also covering Libya. Empowering graduates and equipping them with essential job market skills is of high importance in a conflict-prone country like Libya, whose higher education system suffers from insufficient support and brain drain.

The on-site training courses in Egypt, Libya and Palestine are therefore tailored to the specific needs of each country's labour market to match the graduates’ skills with the local demands.

Though living in neighbouring Arab countries, there are hardly any chances for graduates to meet their peers. By overcoming travel restrictions, the online workshop provided a great opportunity to connect graduates from various Arab countries and offered a platform for interregional exchange and for developing sustainable networks.