Navigating the shift from academia to work — a rundown of work shadowing and training programs available for students in Egypt: There are a range of work-shadowing experiences and training programs across a handful of different sectors to help students and graduates gain an edge in the job market. We give a rundown on some of the work shadowing and training programs available in Egypt, as well as how these programs can help better prepare graduates for the job market.

What are the benefits of students pursuing work shadowing?

#1- Gaining inside scoop on the real world beyond what’s taught in classrooms: Work shadowing sees schools reaching out to companies or parents to arrange short-term job placements, usually lasting two weeks, in a number of different fields which vary from hospitality, engineering, manufacturing and others.

#2- Peeling back the layers in industries: Once students embark on their work experiences, they realize the multifaceted nature of businesses through all the different fields involved, which helps them pinpoint the areas which interest them most and where their skills fit best in the future, former educator Mushira Sabry explained to Enterprise.

#3- Stepping beyond the bubble of family and home: Students stepping out of their comfort zone and catering to someone else’s needs is often an eye-opening experience; they test their emotional and social intelligence through problem solving in environments that may be unfamiliar to them, Sabry explained. They also crack the code on the social economic strata in society where some students explore life beyond suburbia and step into the real urban sprawl, she added. These softs skills are often lacking in fresh graduates, but are sorely needed in the labor market, our sources have previously told us.

The hospitality sector sets itself apart in the world of work shadowing by providing a diverse range of offerings. Several hotels, such as the Marriott Mena House, assign students to a department of operation, such as food and beverage, kitchen, or the front desk, enabling students to explore the practical side of operations in action, Mena House General Manager Omar Tantawi told Enterprise.

Unlocking potential with training programs: Professional learning and development companies target fresh graduates according to their capabilities and areas of interest.

There are a couple of examples of programs that prepare students for the market, including:

OrchidEducation has been offering training programs to fill the skills gap between academic education and the workplace since 2011, founder and Managing Director Iten Elorabi told us. The programs usually last between 3-6 months, depending on the fields they choose to specialize in. They currently offer 11 different organization capabilities, including HR management, project management, accounting and finance, business development, and marketing. The programs help individuals, including fresh graduates, in growing past the academic perspective as they tie in with the day to day tasks expected of them in the actual job, Elorabi added.

Injaz Egypt works on promoting skills of employability and entrepreneurship among Egypt’s youth, including school and university students. They have “Work Readiness” programs to prepare students with knowledge and skills to obtain a job in high-growth career industries. Entrepreneurship tracks in the program include business challenges that expose students to complexities of real-world business management. They are also taught how to budget their financing through the financial literacy program.

Aspire Training Solutions is a training and consultancy company whose expertise lies in integrating the educational phase with the market phase. They focus on youth, by offering training methodologies to more than 15k students a year whilst enhancing their personal skills and increasing employability.

The Egyptian Junior Business Association (EJB) is a nonprofit organization, founded in 1999, with an objective to improve the business environment in Egypt. EJB offers a capacity building program called “KEY program” designed for university students and fresh graduates to enhance their employability.

The American University in Cairo (AUC) has been running the University Center for Career Development (UCCD) project since 2017 in cooperation with the Education Ministry to increase employability prospects for public university graduates through the provision of career advising services, employability skills training, English language courses, and specialized technical training. There are currently 30 UCCD projects at 22 public universities, spanning several governorates, from Alexandria to Aswan. The UCCD is also being extended to reach 46 projects in 34 universities across the country by 2026.

The British Embassy and the Higher Education Ministry launched Egypt’s career employability program, which strives to help fresh graduates to secure jobs by improving their skills to meet the demands of the labor market, supporting them with entrepreneurial skills training and mentorship programs to launch or improve green businesses, facilitate internships and increase awareness of science, technology, engineering and math as possible career options.

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