Linking education to employment:how to establish a successful and uninterrupted connection

Youth unemployment has been and always will be an important item on the government's agenda. With youth unemployment rates reaching as high as 27 percent in 2016, twice as high as the overall unemployment rate, the future of the country is in danger. With today's generation having a great thirst for education and knowledge, a lack of skills and proper education leave them short of being qualified as employable workers to both domestic and international labour markets. Skill shortages, mismatch between supply and demand of labour as well as a lack of necessary skills to find a suitable job are but some of the barriers to employment, leaving a big segment of Egypt's population (almost 25 percent) struggling to raise their living standards. Policies should focus on tackling how education and training systems prepare younger generations to enter the labour market instead of just creating job opportunities, with schools, government, universities and employers making sure the connection between education and labour is open and uninterrupted