The World Youth Forum concluded a workshop held over three days to discuss the learning for work initiatives and volunteer paths in the Middle East and North Africa, in co-operation with UNICEF at the headquarters of the National Training Academy.
The workshop aims to create a partnership between the public sector and the private sector in order to promote an implementation plan to create partnerships.
The workshop participants analyzed the challenges, including: Difficulty accessing training opportunities, lack of support, lack of vocational guidance and difficulty in financing, in addition to the challenges in lack of knowledge of volunteering opportunities, and lack of awareness of the importance of volunteering.
The workshop also highlighted the proposed solutions regarding the role of the private sector in providing voluntary work opportunities as a learning tool, besides supporting young people through vocational training or career guidance, which would reduce unemployment.
The workshop also discussed the added value that young people gain through volunteer work in terms of how to motivate them to volunteer.
Many international organizations participated, including the Arab Volunteer Union, the United Nations Industrial Development Organization, the United Nations Development Program and the International Labor Organization.
The workshop also witnessed the participation of many development initiatives in cooperation with the Ibda initiative to develop Egyptian industry, the Decent Life Foundation, the Federation of Egyptian Industries, and the Intilaq Company, as well as representatives from various ministries.
That comes in implementation of the recommendations launched by the World Youth Forum platform instead of organizing the fifth edition of the forum this year.
During the workshop, the participants called for the creation of an electronic platform that prepares young people for the labor market, as well as providing a part of the platform for volunteers that enhances the chances of young people to obtain suitable jobs, noting the need to provide counseling and guidance programs.
The outcomes of the workshop included the formation of an advisory committee that includes representatives of youth, the private sector, the government and civil society to follow up on the implementation of the road map that was developed during the workshop.
Source: The Egyptian Gazette
