Alturki and Education For Employment expand job training for unemployed youth in Palestine and Egypt

Alturki Business Park, Al Khobar, Saudi Arabia, 22 January 2014

Alturki and Education For Employment (EFE) today signed an agreement to boost youth employment in Saudi Arabia. Foraying into Saudi Arabia, EFE will roll-out the pilot of its globally-renowned demand-driven model that tailors job training to match the skills needs of employers and places youth directly into jobs.

As part of the agreement the two organizations will also expand their efforts in Palestine and Egypt and strengthen EFE's operations across the Middle East and North Africa (MENA).

The Alturki-EFE partnership highlights the potential of the private sector in addressing the youth employment challenge, providing economic opportunity for youth and increasing regional stability and competitiveness. The agreement was signed by Rami Alturki, President & CEO, Alturki, and Ron Bruder, Founder & Chair, EFE, at Alturki Business Park, Al Khobar, Saudi Arabia.

The pilot program in Saudi Arabia will provide the graduates with the opportunity to secure entry-level positions within Saudi companies. Participants will also undergo intensive training in critical professional skills and EFE will incorporate on-the-job training to provide recent hires with the skills to achieve immediate results in their new positions.

Commenting on the announcement, Rami Alturki stated, "I am thrilled to have partnered with EFE on this ambitious project, we are continuously striving to invest in human development across the MENA region. I am confident the rewards for the youth participating in this program will be fruitful in launching their first steps towards a fulfilling career and I am honored to take part in this initiative".

With Alturki's support, Palestine EFE (PEFE) will develop the first-ever Virtual Jobs Program and Curriculum for the Palestine, and launch a pilot to train unemployed youth utilizing this new curriculum. EFE|Egypt will launch training programs to prepare Egyptian youth for the workforce, strengthen its alumni network through continuing education programs that will increase beneficiary job placement and retention rates, and hold two Training-of-Trainers programs to expand its pool of available trainers and build the capacity and skills of its current trainers.  

Alturki and EFE first partnered in 2013 to build the skills of over 130 youth in Egypt and Palestine and placed them in full-time, career-building jobs.

Ron Bruder, Founder & Chair of EFE, stated that, "Education For Employment was founded on the belief that when young men and women have jobs or start businesses, they gain hope for the future and lay the foundation for prosperous societies.  But youth cannot do this alone.  Real commitment and action on the part of visionary private sector leaders such as Alturki is critical to creating a brighter future for young men and women across the MENA region. We are proud to partner with Alturki to open a new chapter for EFE in Saudi Arabia and create economic opportunity for youth in Palestine and Egypt." 

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Khalid Ali Alturki & Sons (Alturki) is a leading investment and development company that has been operating in Saudi Arabia since 1975. Its subsidiaries and joint venture companies are focused on the construction and infrastructure, building materials, real-estate, oil field services and renewable energy, information and communication technologies and general industrial sectors in Saudi Arabia and neighboring Arab countries.

About Education For Employment         
Education For Employment (EFE) is a network of locally-run, affiliated not-for-profit organizations that provide young people in the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) with tools to start a job or become entrepreneurs, build their future and give back to their communities.

EFE creates public-private partnerships to build intensive, interactive tailored training programs for jobs that are pre-committed by its business partners and provide companies with qualified human talent. As a complementary pathway to economic opportunity, EFE's entrepreneurship program prepares young people to become entrepreneurs and provides access to tangible follow-up support. 

The EFE Network is comprised of locally-run affiliates in Egypt, Jordan, Morocco, Palestine, Tunisia and Yemen, with a presence in the Gulf and organizations in Spain and the United States that support the regional affiliates through systems, partnerships, program development, and outreach.  EFE-Global is registered as a 501(c)(3) not-for-profit, non-governmental organization based in Washington,  D.C., with an office in New York.  For more information, visit www.efe.org.

© Press Release 2014