Injaz Al Arab, a non-profit organisation focused on business education for the youth, and technology major Microsoft are teaming up to help more than 200,000 North African youth boost their digital skills in line with the evolving job market.
The initiative's model will be tailored to meet the needs of youth populations in Algeria, Morocco, Tunisia, Egypt, Sudan, Mauritania and Libya, using Microsoft-backed Injaz Al Arab programmes that will take place throughout the academic year.
The scheme will be administered, through strategic partnerships and academic institutions, at middle school and up to post-graduate level, aiming at age groups of 12-24 years, in addition to low-income workers and female-based start-ups within the region.
“This educational initiative embodies our core values of empowering the youth of today. Since our inception we are proud to have reached over 4 million youth, and as digitalisation continues to transform the world we live in, it is imperative that our youth develop the necessary skillsets to create future impact," said Akef Aqrabawi, president and chief executive of Injaz Al Arab.
Youth unemployment is one of the biggest challenges in the Middle East and North Africa, with the jobless rate for young people aged 15-24 in the region hovering at almost 30 per cent, one of the highest in the world and has persisted for more than a decade, according to the World Bank's International Finance Corporation
According to Injaz, youth under the age of 25 account for 50 per cent of the Mena region's population. Of that population 29 per cent are unemployed, roughly equivalent to 50 million individuals who are unable to access the labour market and drive economic prosperity in the region.
The IFC predicts that more than 230 million jobs in Africa will require digital skills by 2030. Digitally training people has the potential to contribute significantly to the global economy in a significant way. Programmes meant for this could boost global gross domestic product by $6.5 trillion and create 5.3 million net jobs by 2030, according to PricewaterhouseCoopers.
The collaboration between Injaz Al Arab and Microsoft falls under the latter's global initiative that aims to help 25 million people worldwide acquire the digital skills needed. It will help North African youth enhance their employability and entrepreneurship skills, which in turn would help them secure in-demand jobs.
Most in-demand jobs for 2021 can be carried out remotely,, according to the World Economic Forum and professional services network LinkedIn. About 150 million new technology jobs will be created in the next five years, with 84 per cent of employers planning to expand remote working, according to the WEF.
“Unprecedented digital transformation coupled with global unprecedented situations are rapidly reshaping the way we work and live. We are committed to supporting people at every stage in life – whether students in schools, youth in and out of college, or today’s IT professionals – to achieve more by skilling, upskilling and reskilling them and leading a better quality of life," said Ghada Khalifa, regional director of Microsoft Philanthropies.
The Injaz training programmes will be offered in a hybrid model, either as a supplementary material to existing ones or as stand-alone training.
Additionally, participants will have access to Injaz Learn, a new online learning platform being developed through the partnership that will serve as an educational one-stop-shop for digital, entrepreneurship and employability skills.
Injaz Al Arab was founded in 1999 by Soraya Salti and became a member of Junior Achievement Worldwide, one of the largest non-government organisations serving youth globally, in 2004, becoming the regional operating centre for the Mena region.
It operates in 13 countries, has more than 88,000 volunteers and has forged partnerships with thousands of schools and 13 ministries of education. It has also become the largest non-profit organisation dedicated to overcoming unemployment in the region.
