Context:
Tunisia has a population of 11.107 million and GDP US$43.015 billion. Youth constitute 12.3% of the total population and 17.5% of the working-age population. While unemployment rate is 14.8%, unemployment among female youth (21.2%) is higher than that among male youth (12.5%). One substantial obstacle for finding a good job is the mismatch between requirements of the job and qualifications of applicants. The average educational attainment in Tunisia is 8.4 school years. Only 10% of Tunisian youth had volunteered in an organization in 2015.
Education for Employment Tunisia was initially launched by the support of the Middle East Partnership Initiative. After few months, it was legally registered as a youth NGO. Partnering with six Tunisian universities (University of Kairouan and University of Gafsa in central Tunisia, the University of Gabes in the south, the University of Jendouba in the northwest, the University of Tunis Manar (the biggest in the country), the University of Sousse in the Center-East, and ISET Zaghouan in the East), EFE conducts business workplace and sales skills training for unemployed young people.
Implementation of programme/ initiative:
EFE aims at addressing youth unemployment in Tunisia by providing youth with skills and tools to secure a job, start a business, or build their future while giving back to their communities.
Main challenges:
- N/A.
Results achieved:
Since 2012, more than 840 youth were trained and placed in jobs with an 87% job placement rate. 90% of training graduates retain their jobs more than three months. 64% of training graduates are females. More than 30 employers hired Tunisian EFE alumni.
Moving Forward:
- N/A.
Replicability:
EFE centres are founded across the region and conduct similar training; countries include: Morocco, Egypt, Palestine, Jordan, Saudi Arabia, and Yemen.
References:
AHDR 2016
Women’s school-to-work transition in the Arab Mediterranean countries, 2017
OECD Youth in the MENA region, 2016
World Bank, 2016
International Labor Organization, 2016
http://efe.org/our-network/tunisia
Project Details
Date: October 12, 2017