The Guardian Profiles EFE as Leader in Creating Economic Opportunity and Stability in the Middle East

In an article on November 21st, British newspaper The Guardian examines youth unemployment in the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) and what organizations such as Education For Employment (EFE) are doing to help ameliorate the economic and social challenges faced by young people in the region.

Quoting EFE Founder & Chair Ron Bruder and EuropEFE CEO Salvatore Nigro, “Middle East Stability Relies on Employment Opportunities for Its Youth” points out the series of challenges that have brought present Arab youth unemployment rates to levels even higher than those witnessed before the Arab Spring three years ago. Putting people to work in the region has been a priority for many policy makers and The Guardian identifies EFE as leading the way.

Providing a detailed description of EFE’s model, The Guardian outlines the key role that the private sector, including Accenture and Citi, plays in making EFE’s work possible.

To conclude, the author calls for the massive scale-up of programs such as EFE, framing it as both a challenge and a warning. “A massive ramping up of scale is needed. Employability courses such as those offered by EFE and Injaz need to multiply exponentially. More importantly, the skills they are teaching need to find their way into the classroom. If today's Bouazizis are to have hope, it will require educators, government and business to knuckle down and get their lesson plans straight.”

You can read the full article here.