Youth Employment Project

COUNTRIES: Algeria
DURATION: 09/15/2015 - 09/15/2018
FUNDER: U.S. Department of State – Bureau of Near East Affairs
CONTACT: [email protected]

Program Description

The Youth Employment Project establishes career centers in private vocational training schools in nine cities around Algeria

In an increasingly interconnected and interdependent world, the needs of yesterday’s economy are no longer those of tomorrow’s. At the same time, in Algeria as elsewhere, economic development is limited by persistent unemployment, particularly among young people, who comprise a significant part of Algeria’s population.

To empower these youth to serve as the principal driver of the economy of the future, in late 2015 World Learning Algeria launched a three-year project aiming to reinforce the linkages between young people and the world of work.

With the support of the Middle East Partnership Initiative (MEPI), a program of the U.S. State Department, World Learning launched the project by establishing youth career centers in private vocational training schools in four sites (Adrar, Blida, Ouargla, Sétif). Three further sites were added in the second year (Biskra, El Oued, Oran), followed by a final two schools (Batna, Tizi Ouzou).

Program Goals

Upgrade training methods and materials to enable the vocational training centers to offer more robust training courses;
Develop vocational trainings that are updated and adapted to the needs of the local markets in specific technical domains;
Provide supplemental trainings in job search and essential professional skills to prepare the young participants to be dynamic, motivated, and conscious recruits;
Create a new job search and matching platform, in partnership with Souktel, a regional leader in employability technologies;
Offer internship and job opportunities for young participants with a range of local employers;
Reinforce linkages between the technical schools and local businesses to ensure the relevance and sustainability of services offered to young job seekers.