Khalid Karara, president of the project on improving job quality at the German International Cooperation Foundation (GIZ) in Egypt, said that it has started the second phase of the Sustainable Training and Education Programme (STEP) to improve the quality of jobs in Badr and the Tenth of Ramadan city.
The project, which belongs to the German Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development and is supported by the German International Cooperation Program, will continue until 2020, in order to achieve quality of the labour market.
He added, in an interview with MEO, that GIZ seeks to have a positive impact of its projects on the ground and this is achieved by providing supervisory skills training to nearly 25 companies, as well as focussing on young people and implementing eight projects to improve the quality of work.
He confirmed that a Labour Market Access project (LMAP) has been implemented, on behalf of the German Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development (BMZ), in order to be careful to make a positive impact in the Egyptian market for employees and entrepreneurs of both genders.
Tell us about the Sustainable Training and Education Programme.
The role of the STEP is to improve the quality of work, to raise awareness of job quality and to help small and medium projects, in accessing services that meet their needs and requirements.
The project is being implemented in cooperation with the Federation of Economic Development Associations (FEDA) in Egypt.
What are the success factors for this project?
The success of the STEP is dependant on establishing strong networks with small and medium enterprises, thus effectively influencing the improvement of the quality of potential employment opportunities.
What is the extent of GIZ’s achievements and its impact?
The German International Cooperation Foundation (GIZ) has achieved a great deal with many small and medium-sized companies, in the governorates of Ismailia, Port Said and Suez.
This includes the development of supervision, the calculation of the cost of turnover of labour and the improvement of the quality of jobs.
To what extent do you seek to activate the project on the ground?
GIZ seeks to improve the employment status of the Egyptian youth, through cooperation with FEDA, and to improve the quality of jobs and development.
It also seeks to have a positive impact on the ground; this is achieved by providing supervisory skills training to 25 companies, as well as focusing on the youth and improving their situation.
What are the Aim of the project?
The Aim of the project is to implement several activities to raise awareness of the importance of improving the quality of jobs.
Thus paving the way for small and medium enterprises to achieve a higher level of functionality.
This will be done in four ways:
-A training programme called “Developing Supervision Skills”
-A tool to calculate the cost of labour turnover
-A guide Evaluate key areas of quality jobs
-A competition to improve the quality of work
What other projects does “GIZ” take care of in Egypt?
GIZ Implements the LMAP on behalf of the German Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development, in order to be careful to make a positive impact, the project also provides support to improve working conditions and jobs for the Egyptian youth of both sexes.
How do you see the entry of the STEP to the Egyptian market?
We must recognise that the project is the fruit of cooperation and positive relations between Egypt and Germany.
The most prominent benefit of this project is the participation of young people, whether from “GIZ” or the Association of Economic Development, which has enhanced the success of the project. In fact, the reaction of companies at the beginning of the project was positive, because they realised that money spent on improving the quality of jobs eventually translated into profits for factories and companies.