Egypt is experiencing a youth bulge. One in five Egyptians is between 15 and 24. Half of the population is below 25. Youth, one may continue, boosts economic growth and prosperity. Well, this is not the case.

 

According to a 2015 report issued by the Central Agency for Public Mobilization and Statistics, 65.6% of unemployed people are between 15 and 29. As this were not enough, more than 76 % hold diplomas or university degrees.

 

 

Paradoxically, a potential resource and one of the strongest economic assets is becoming a burden on society. One of the main causes for such a large-scale unemployment among Egyptian youth is a wrecked education system, which authorities have failed to adapt to the needs of an evolving labor market. For instance, bachelors of commerce enroll more than 77000 students every year across the country. A number that has proved to be unbearable for the labor market and that marks a visible gab between supply and demand.

 

Ibrahim, a graduate of the faculty of commerce English section, currently works as a driver at Uber. “I should be working at a foreign bank, but getting a job is really hard here,” he said. Ibrahim, who started working at Uber three months ago, is not alone. Thousands of graduates crowd into call centers or continue to be without job for years.

 

 

Failures in addressing the problems of higher education are manifest. Moreover, following a widespread trend in developing countries, policy makers, with good results, have mainly focused on reducing the number of uneducated and illiterate people.

 

Lack of vision and poor strategic plans make the scenario even worst. Poorly qualified teachers and scholars make the sky darker.

 

 

Enterprises have repeatedly lamented their difficulties in finding qualified talents for open positions. A recent study clarifies causal mechanisms that make difficult the insertion of graduates in the job market very difficult: these barriers epitomize the poor connections between the entrepreneurs and institutions of higher education. A lack of communication and interaction that, year after year, exacerbates frustration and the economic burden on families and the whole society more generally.

 

 

People lack basic computer skills, they handle English poorly and, often, they find difficult to master basic abilities connected with their title. This is the case of Dina. She is a 23 multimedia journalism graduate, who is struggling to find a job in the media field. “Most of the vacancies require someone who has an experience with photography and producing videos and I haven’t studied these skills in college,” she said.

 

 

Revamping Egypt’s education system is vital. The country needs to develop a new educational curriculum. One in which students acquire skills and go through trainings that qualify them for being competitive candidates in the job market. A system that equips students with skills needed by the market and the employers.

 

The skills gap in Egypt is the first step towards the solution of the unemployment problem. It is also fundamental to create partnership between hiring companies and the government – the ultimate responsible for the efficiency of the education system. Better coordination at all levels, therefore, is imperative to avoid losing a whole generation.