Education and Training for Egyptian youth in Fayoum Governorate: Activities to promote Regular Migration and Positive Alternatives

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1 Unaccompanied Minors Migration Education and Training for Egyptian youth in Fayoum Governorate: Activities to promote Regular Migration and Positive Alternatives Project Outline April 2012

2 Summary In Fayoum, a successful school twinning is taking place, which is the first of its kind in the Governorate. The Advanced Technical School for Hotel Management and Tourism Services decided to partner with the Italian Tourism School Elena Cornaro of Jesolo to provide its students high quality education and training that are in line with both national and international labour market requirements. E.Cornaro (Italy) / Fayoum Tourism School (Egypt) The project, implemented by the IOM in cooperation with the Egyptian Ministry of Education (MoE) and the National Council for Childhood and Motherhood (NCCM) and funded by the Italian Ministry of Labour and Social Policies, is based on the idea that strengthening vulnerable youth s access to technical education and vocational training in rural communities with high-migration pressure will provide them with the skills and knowledge they need to take advantage of economic opportunities, both at home and abroad. IOM s innovative approach evolved from the reality of high unemployment and migration aspirations among youth around Egypt and especially in Fayoum Governorate. Instead of migrating irregularly and exposing themselves to the hazardous journey and the risks of exploitation and abuse faced by unaccompanied minors (UAMs) in the destination countries, young people are encouraged to profit from the education and training the Fayoum School provides. Once successfully graduated, they will have increased their prospects for a successful (regular) migration experience and/or their insertion in the local labour market. Through this project, a positive alternative to irregular migration is promoted that will provide future perspectives to youth and support local socio-economic development. In order to meet the education and training needs of Egyptian youth in Fayoum and enhance their employability and competitiveness in the tourism sector at local, national and international level, the school facilities and laboratories are renovated and equipped with modern furniture, the school s educational and vocational training syste m and curricula are updated according to the Italian model, training and tutoring are carried out for teachers, services and counselling on school to work transition are provided to students and social and cultural events as well as training opportunities are organized for the wider community. Through media and information campaigns, carried out in Fayoum and at national level, information about the school s education and training offers is disseminated with slogans and contents that encourage youth to believe and build on their potentials and talents and, at the same time, to reflect on the value of their educational and professional future.a future which cannot be threatened by the hazards of irregular migration. Project Objectives The IOM project s overall objective is to facilitate regular labor migration from Egypt to Italy by enhancing local education and training opportunities, whilst supporting migrant communities and, in particular, Egyptian youth to become agents for development through their active and effective participation in the country s socioeconomic growth. More specifically, the project aims to: 2

3 Objectives: o Meet the education and training needs of Egyptian youth in Fayoum; o Enhance their employability and competitiveness in the tourism sector at local, national and international level; o Facilitate the learning process according to job market requirements; o Promote the important role of education and training as a pathway conducive to socio-economic integration in key destination countries; o Raise awareness on the activities of the school through a comprehensive information campaign on national and local level. The Egyptian and Italian Governments entrusted IOM to develop a project to promote safe migration and positive alternatives for Egyptian youth. Funds have been allocated by the Italian Ministry of Labour and Social Policies. The institutional counterpart is the National Council for Childhood and Motherhood (NCCM) in coordination with the Egyptian Ministry of Education (MoE). The Italian Tourism School E. Cornaro of Jesolo functions as a model and exchange partner, providing expertise and operational support to the project. Fayoum has been selected as the Pilot Governorate for the initiative due to the high migration pressure towards Italy. Project Activities Summary The Advanced Technical School for Hotel Management and Tourism Services in Fayoum has been renovated and upgraded to become a center of excellence, offering labor marked oriented education and training based on international standards. Furthermore, high quality services are offered to the local community and other tourism schools around Egypt. 1) Renovation of the school facilities and laboratories o Renovation of classrooms and laboratories in line with international standards. o Provision and instalment of modern technical equipment for the kitchen, restaurant etc. o Purchase and instalment of new and modern classroom furniture. 2) Upgrade of the school s educational and vocational training system and curricula based on the Italian model and according to international standards o Upgrade of the educational and vocational training system and curricula of the school according to the Italian model of the Tourism School E. Cornaro of Jesolo and in line with the European Qualification Framework (EQF). The new system and curricula have been officially endorsed and adopted by H.E. Minister of Education. o Implementation of a 3-years education system: Year 1-2: Students gain broad knowledge and skills in a variety of fields. Year 3: Students gain specialized skills and knowledge in three fields of the tourism sector: (1) kitchen, (2) restaurant and (3) services. After completion of the 3 rd year, the students are 3

4 qualified to enter the job market or continue their studies at a higher level. o Adoption of the Italian language as first foreign language in the school, besides English. o Provision of ICT courses. o Provision of i ntensive practical training inside the school and on the job to enhance the link between theoretical and technical curricula. o Development, design and printing of technical school books for the three fields of specializations and development of complementary Educational Video Lessons focussing on practical training. o Set up of an innovative Career Guidance Unit that provides counselling and services for students for an efficient school to work transition. 3) Development of a school website o The website provides relevant information such as about the admission procedure, the educational plan and the career guidance office. o The website furthermore allows sharing information and training materials such as the Video Lessons with other tourism schools around Egypt. 4) Development of teacher s educational and vocational skills Organization of training in Egypt and Italy for the school s trainers and teachers on the following subjects: o Languages (Italian, English); o Applied techniques (kitchen-restaurant-tourism services); o Teaching methodologies and didactics; o Microsoft Digital Literacy and ICT; o School management; o Pre-Departure-Orientation. Provision of monitoring and tutoring for teachers and trainers in order to improve their performance. 5) Introduction of a School Management System o Development of a School Management System accompanied by an online tool to guarantee good performance of teachers and students, to ensure the maintenance of the school facilities and equipment and to guarantee financial sustainability of the school. o Workshops for te achers and school staff on the management structure, the different sectors and individual duties and responsibilities. 6) Social and cultural events and training services for the community o Organization of events and short term training courses for the local community. o Provision of seminar, workshop and meeting venues for institutions, NGOs and enterprises. 4

5 o Provision of training for teachers from other tourism schools around Egypt. o Training of youth job seekers in line with labour market needs: Language courses: Italian, English and French; IT courses (ICDL, digital literacy, maintenance, advanced MS package); Courses specific to the hospitality industry (hygiene, etc.. 7) Media and information campaigns o Production and distribution of i nformation materials. o Implementation of seminars, workshops and other information activities. o Promotion of the project activities and school facilities through: TV online discussions with IOM delegates in main Egyptian channels; Newspaper articles informing about the risk of irregular migration and current job market opportunities; IOM participation in different events such as the UN Youth Day and NGO activities. IOM CO Cairo: 47C, Abou El Feda Str. Zamalek, Cairo Egypt Tel: /41/42 mrfcairo@iom.int Website: 5