Representatives from Qatar-based Silatech, Microsoft, International Youth Foundation (IYF) and the Palestinian Ministry of Labour signed an agreement in Ramallah recently to partner on enhancing employment opportunities for Palestinian youth.

The memorandum of understanding (MoU) commits the parties to combine the offerings available through Ta3mal, a regional network of youth employability portals led by Silatech and Microsoft, with the local 3amal portal developed by the ministry, together with other interested Palestinian partners from the private, NGO and public sectors and academia.

Launched in April 2012 by Silatech and Microsoft, Ta3mal links youth to career guidance, soft skills and entrepreneurship training, eLearning as well as internships and entry-level job opportunities.

Ta3mal.com now has specialised country portals developed for Qatar, Egypt, Iraq, Tunisia, Algeria and Morocco. Silatech and Microsoft are regional co-partners, while at the local level, 64 partners from the non-profit, education, governmental and private sectors provide specialised content, job opportunities and access to services appropriate for each country.

Building on its extensive experience in implementing the USAID-funded Youth Entrepreneurship Development Programme, IYF works as a local partner for Ta3mal in Palestine, managing the day-to-day work of the new portal and providing access to its extensive local network.

The 3amal portal was developed by Palestine’s Ministry of Labour in collaboration with the Reform and Policies Programme of the German Federal Enterprise for International Co-operation to promote youth employment, provide improved access to labour market information and increase youth engagement in the economic development of Palestine.

Through this portal, the ministry aims to reach its target group of parents and students in secondary schools and universities. The site includes various resources for students, providing the maximum number of students with support through the career counsellors present across the country.

Silatech associate director of Employability Dr Rachel Awad said: “There are many similarities and complementarities between the Ta3mal and 3amal portals, so it is natural that we should collaborate to connect the partner network and employability tools of Ta3mal with the physical resources and in-depth labour information provided by the Ministry of Labour.”

Deputy Minister of Labour Nasser Qatami stressed the need to build bridges of trust and co-operation at the technical level with signatories of the MoU to strengthen the relationship between the partners and ensure better services for youth towards addressing the problem of unemployment.

Qatami thanked IYF, Silatech, Microsoft and USAID for their continuous efforts to support employability programmes in Palestine.

Dr Mohamed AlMbaid, country director for IYF in Palestine, said by leveraging regional, international and local experiences and resources and commitments, IYF will provide Palestinian youth with tested and much-needed tools that they can access online through one comprehensive portal.

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