Loading ...How Tourism Is Creating Opportunity For Millions Of Unemployed Arab Women And Youth
SOURCE: FORBES
BY: MICHELLE MARTIN
After graduating from Birzeit University in Palestine, Hiba Zalatimo sent out her resume and spent 7 months searching for a job, to no avail. Despite her newly minted degree, and like many of her peers, Zalatimo lacked the soft skills necessary to enter the job market. While global unemployment represents one of the biggest challenges of our time, youth unemployment is particularly concerning in the Arab World, where an estimated 52 million are unemployed. Luckily for Zalatimo and thousands of others, Education For Employment (EFE) is working to change that by training youth and linking them to jobs across the Middle East and North Africa (MENA). With a focus on tourism and hospitality, amid other growth sectors, the nonprofit organization is poised to spur sustainable economic growth and create lifelong opportunity for millions of women and youth.
Graduating its first class in 2006, the nonprofit’s mission is simple: to create economic opportunities for unemployed youth in MENA so they can create a brighter future for themselves, their families and their communities. By establishing a network that operates in nine countries across the region, they are working diligently to match businesses that need qualified employees with skilled youth whom they train with skills to succeed on the job and in life.
When EFE-Palestine opened a branch in Zalatimo’s hometown of Jerusalem, she was one of the first to sign up for the training program that included lessons in presentation skills, team collaboration and time management. Upon completion of the program, EFE helped her secure interviews, and by leveraging her presentation skills, she quickly landed an entry-level job at an upscale hotel in Palestine. “I started at the bottom of the ladder,” said Zalatimo, “but within two years, I was leading the marketing department and managing a team of 60 employees.”
The world’s largest youth population can be found in MENA and although the region is well positioned to become one of the world’s most technologically advanced and economically stable areas, a gap still remains between skilled workers and job opportunities. Currently, EFE is working with nearly 3,000 multinational and local company partners (like Four Seasons and Marriott) to connect women and youth to work in the region.
EFE-Jordan is currently one of the country’s leading youth employment organizations. Based in Amman, the affiliate operates programs across the country, particularly in underserved areas. MENA’s female participation rate in the workforce is among the lowest in the world, at 22 percent compared to more than 50 percent worldwide. More than half of EFE-Jordan graduates, however, are young women, and one of the fastest growing sectors where they are finding work is tourism.
EFE offers culinary training in PalestineEDUCATION FOR EMPLOYMENT
With its world heritage sites and natural and cultural attractions, Jordan’s tourism and hospitality sectors account for more than 10 percent of the country’s GDP, according to the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development. As the fifth strongest sector contributing to GDP, it makes perfect sense to focus on employment in this field, especially as Jordan’s youth unemployment rate is 33%, one of the highest rates in the region.
Seeing the opportunity to connect the dots, EFE-Jordan created a public private partnership with the Jordanian Ministry of Labor, the Velaj Foundation and the Drosos Foundation to launch a national hospitality campaign that improves the reputation of the tourism and hospitality sector and boosts youth employment in field, particularly among young women.
“We want youth to know that the sector offers job opportunities across all regions and in diverse companies, so that they recognize the range of possibilities and see these are truly accessible,” said Ghadeer al Khuffash, CEO of EFE-Jordan. “Jordan is lucky to have hospitality hubs in areas such as Amman, the Dead Sea, Petra, Wadi Rum and more. Job opportunities are clustered in these areas, and we also want youth to know that there’s more, too.”
Each year, according to the Ministry of Labor, the hospitality sector creates 3,000 job openings for young adults to begin a career that provides the stability of employment along with a platform for growth and advancement. The hospitality sector is expected to create 20,000 job openings by 2020, yet too few Jordanian youth are aware of these opportunities, or qualified to seize them. Despite its growth potential, the hospitality sector suffers from misperceptions about upward mobility and working conditions, especially amongst young women and their families.
An EFE Jordan graduateEDUCATION FOR EMPLOYMENT
“When youth have the right skills and opportunities, they help their families, communities, and companies succeed,” said al Khuffash. “Youth can transform the trajectory of the region if they are given a chance.”
Encouraging Jordanians to look beyond the sector’s outdated negative stereotypes and recognize its potential to offer youth transformative, successful careers, EFE-Jordan’s multimedia campaign covers all aspects of hospitality and tourism, from small, family-run restaurants and inns to five-star hotels in tourist hotspots.
By introducing the benefits of a career in hospitality, EFE-Jordan hopes to inspire youth to apply for the programs that will prepare them with the skills they need to succeed in this growing sector.
An avid traveler and social entrepreneur, Michelle Martin is the Founder and CEO of Travara, a purpose-driven travel and lifestyle media platform for the modern global citizen. Follow @DiscoverTravara
