The widening gap between the supply of skills by youth and the demand of skills by employers contributes to unemployment difficulties. To better understand this gap between the supply of skills by youth and the demand of skills by employers, INJAZ Al-Arab collaborated with Oliver Wyman and Junior Achievement Africa in conducting a survey that aims to dive into both youth and employers' perspectives of the labour market challenges to:

• Deepen our insights on the challenges in the job market for both youth and employers
• Use these insights to influence the private sector and public policy in addressing these challenges

Oliver Wyman surveyed youth and employers following a four-step approach with more ore than 350 employers and 2000 youth from across MENA and SSA participating in the survey.

Findings of the survey were launched on “Youth Skills Day” in a report that is available herehttps://owy.mn/3z3eaFI

Shedding light on the efforts INJAZ network post COVID-19 pandemic, Arabian Business interviewed  INJAZ Al-Arab’s President and CEO, Akef Aqrabawi, and published an article titled: “Behind the NGO Equipping MENA's Students with the Skillset for 21st Century Jobs”.

The article highlights the role INJAZ plays in preparing youth and bridging the skills gap between what the students are offered in their basic academic education and what they need to succeed in the future job market.

The interview discussed the transformation INJAZ Al-Arab witnessed in the past year and the direction forward. Furthermore, it celebrates the resilience of our youth and talks about the skills and exposure they need to venture into the world as employees, innovators and future job creators.

Read the full interview here:  https://bit.ly/3eW0q7R

In a continued partnership with Google Arabia, INJAZ Al-Arab is now offering young kids in MENA the chance to learn the fundamentals of digital citizenship and  safety through Google’s “Abtal Al Internet” (Be Internet Awesome) program.

“Abtal Al Internet” is a program that helps young kids navigate the online world with confidence by introducing to concepts of proper and safe online conduct such as security, privacy, trust, and kindness. This awareness is built through playing an online game, as kids navigate an online adventure that puts the key lessons of digital safety into hands-on practice with four challenges titled

• Kind Kingdom - It’s Cool to be Kind
• Reality River – Don’t Fall for Fake
• Mindful Mountain - Share with Care
• Tower of Treasure – Secure your Secrets

The program was kicked off and set for implementation during this academic year in five MENA countries including Egypt, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, UAE and Morocco.