Press release

The ILO and the Federation of Egyptian Industries (FEI) join forces to support youth and refugees in Greater Cairo

The International Labour Organization (ILO) and the Federation of Egyptian Industries (FEI) have signed an agreement to implement the apprenticeship programme for Egyptian youth and refugee communities in Greater Cairo.

Press release | Greater Cairo | 31 May 2021
Cairo (ILO News) The International Labour Organization (ILO) and the Federation of Egyptian Industries (FEI) have signed an agreement to implement an apprenticeship programme for Egyptian youth and refugee communities in Greater Cairo.

The Agreement comes within the framework of the PROSPECTS Partnership, which is funded by the Kingdom of the Netherlands and is being implemented through a partnership between several multilateral agencies, namely: IFC, ILO, UNHCR and UNICEF. The Agreement was signed by Mr. Eric Oechslin, ILO Country Director for Egypt and Eritrea and Director of the Decent Work Team for North Africa, and Mr. Khaled Abd-Elazim, FEI Executive Director, on 25 May 2021.

The programme aims to empower Egyptian youth and refugees between the ages of 20 and 35 years by providing them with apprenticeship opportunities inside workshops and factories to increase their access to decent work opportunities within the targeted governorates. In this context, the programme will be focusing on several employment-intensive industries, such as the ready-made garments (RMG) and furniture m in Greater Cairo.

“The programme will support beneficiaries to obtain high-quality education through the enhancement of their technical skills, as part of the ILO’s efforts to link them with decent job opportunities. This methodology will result in a productive workforce that will be able to contribute positively to the development of Egypt in a sustainable manner, especially after the COVID-19 pandemic,” said Mr. Oechslin.

”These programmes and joint activities are based on the promotion of socio-economic development, which is among the priorities and foothold of the ILO to contribute to Egypt's Vision 2030 in line with the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs),” he added.

The federation has been striving since 2015 to highlight the role of social responsibility in enhancing the competitiveness of economic institutions, raising the productivity of companies and promoting economic and development indicators. In addition to demonstrating the positive repercussions of applying social responsibility initiatives to achieve social peace, social justice and to develop human resources and the returns of that on increasing youth employment rates."

Mr. Khaled Abd-Elazim, FEI Executive Director
Mobica for Advanced Industries in car seats and automotive interiors manufacturing, Abu Rawash, Giza, Egypt.

What allows such programmes to become distinctive is the provision of training opportunities through practice within workshops and specialized factories, which not only ensured that practical professional skills were taught in the labour market but also opportunities for young people to find decent work after training in such workshops and factories were increased."

Mr. Amir Obeid, Country Programme Manager of ILO- PROSPECTS
Mobica for Advanced Industries in car seats and automotive interiors manufacturing, Abu Rawash, Giza, Egypt.

The importance that the federation attaches to the apprenticeship programme for young people implemented in cooperation with the ILO could be increased as the Federation seeks to participate- with the rest of the stakeholders- to create a favourable environment that enables youth including refugees to enrich our societies through their human, economic and social capabilities, and thus facilitate our contributions to Sustainable Development Goals and Egypt Vision 2030."

Mr. El Sayed Torky, Senior Advisor to FEI