EACD & PPI: Qualifying the Egyptian Youth for the Labour Market

What is EACD ?

The Egyptian Association for Comprehensive Development (EACD) was established on 25 December 1995, with the aim of developing the capabilities of individuals the most in need, especially youth, women and children in rural and informal communities.

Accordingly, EACD has formed and focused on four main objectives:

• Investing efforts to generate policies and strategies that enhance the skills of community members in various fields, such as health, education, environment, and economy, mainly focusing on Women, Children & Youth (Egyptians, refugees and migrants).
• Designing and implementing development programs aimed at improving the living conditions in rural areas that are deprived or lacking infrastructure.
• Initiating mutual cooperation between civil society organisations and the public and private sectors through dialogues towards the sustainable development of society.
• Building and expanding the tools and methods of development activities of the Community Development Associations, to support the capacities of their institutional structure to ensure a sustainable development role.

EACD focuses on five main fields of work: economic development, health, education, women’s empowerment including combating violence, and preserving the environment.

Over the past 28 years, EACD has served more than 20,000 direct beneficiaries annually. EACD takes pride in the fact that most of its staff are actually individuals living amongst the target communities, which contributes significantly to deepening the impact of the services provided and reflects the extent of the positive change being carried out by the teamwork.

What is the YEEB ? How was it born?

The idea behind the Youth Employability and Entrepreneurship Booster (YEEB) project was born out of the difficult economic situation triggered by the Covid pandemic. Many people lost their jobs or a part of their income as a result, and costs rose very quickly. Thousands of Egyptian entrepreneurs had to shut down their activity.

PPI with EACD thus decided to develop an employment program – including self-employment – targeting youth in the marginalised areas of greater Cairo. The aim of this project is simply to qualify young people for the labour market, whether to help them find a job or to accompany them in the development of a small business.

How do you implement it in the field ?

First, we study the situation in the target community, identify partners and contact employment initiatives.

Then we build the capabilities of the target groups through a set of qualifying programs that enable them to keep pace with the needs of the labour market:

• Training programs for the development of life and social skills for young people, enabling them to recognise their potential and determine their career path.
• A program for young people who wish to start their own business. It helps them determine a business idea that is suitable for the market demands, assists them in developing a feasibility study and in ensuring the productivity of their business.
• A life skills program dedicated to young people who wish to find a proper job and stay committed to it. It covers knowledge on career self-assessment, CV and cover letter designs, proper job search mechanisms, job interviews tips, leadership and teamwork, job excellence mechanisms, labour laws, innovation, negotiation, problem-solving, etc.
• Vocational training for entrepreneurs and job seekers.

We also organise employment forums to allow employers and job seekers to meet, and working simulation days for young people in a real work environment to motivate them and eliminate their fears/misconceptions. The aim is to develop enthusiasm and self-confidence for young people to decide for themselves.

What is the project’s current and expected impact?

The main impact of the YEEB project is reflected in EACD’s focus on developing motivation amongst young people, building their confidence in themselves and in society, and emphasising their abilities to form and develop in various fields of employment.

YEEB selects groups of young people who have a real need for work and works on developing their commitment so that they become attractive to the private sector – or clients for microentrepreneurs. The aim is to narrow the gap between actual market demands and human resources.

We started with 4 training programs in El Marg and Maadi (Greater Cairo) and we are proud to say that 93 beneficiaries participated effectively, out of which 35 have successfully been employed and still keeping their jobs till today!

How do you work with PPI on this project?

The roots of this project lie in a 2019 project called “Start for Tomorrow”, in which EACD built partnerships between the private sector and trained young people, with the support of PPI (at the time Positive Planet International).

In 2023, PPI (People Power Inclusion) and EACD came to form a new partnership around the idea of YEEB, following up on “Start for Tomorrow” and even broadening the scope to include entrepreneurship alongside employment.

Currently, PPI provides technical support to EACD, in order to allow it to carry on with the project and sustain it into its programs. PPI also empowers EACD to manage a digital platform successfully so EACD can reach more beneficiaries.