Core area “Sustainable Economic Development, training and employment” Needs-based training for young people

One important area of Egyptian-German cooperation is vocational training and youth employment. Each year, around 850,000 young Egyptians enter the labour market. However, a large proportion of them fail to find suitable work. At the same time, many businesses are complaining about a skills shortage. This particularly affects technical and skilled trades occupations.

Apprentice at the Leoni Company in Cairo

Apprentice at the Leoni Company in Cairo

Apprentice at the Leoni Company in Cairo

German-Egyptian training initiative

Against this background, the German-Egyptian training initiative was launched in 2018. The idea is to provide young people with the practical and theoretical knowledge they need so that they can be successfully integrated into the labour market.

Based on cooperation activities to date, support is being provided for vocational education and training in a dual system and the private sector will be involved more extensively in providing relevant training for young people. There is a special emphasis on quality management, on basic and further training for teachers and on women's empowerment. Measures that Germany is supporting include the construction of vocational training schools and centres of excellence, as well as the establishment of an academy and regional training facilities for teachers in the field of vocational education. In this context, cooperation with German businesses is also being expanded.

In order to improve young people's employment prospects, Germany is also supporting a national employment dialogue involving policymakers, businesses and civil society. Secondary and vocational training schools, youth centres and local non-governmental organisations are offering target-group-specific career and vocational guidance with Germany's support. Regional labour market monitoring systems are also being established to improve the data pool for policymakers and job placement services.

Supporting small businesses in the informal sector

Micro and small businesses in the informal sector make a substantial contribution to Egypt's economic output. However, their potential to create new jobs is not being utilised to the full, partly because many enterprises lack access to suitable financial services. In order to be able to invest in their businesses, they are often dependent on private loans from family and friends.

With Germany's support, selected financial and insurance companies are improving their services for micro and small businesses, for example by offering micro loans, tailored insurance policies and specially designed financial solutions for young start-up entrepreneurs.


As at: 23/01/2023