Middle East has the highest regional rate of youth unemployment at 28.3%

Crescent Enterprises to support EFE in establishing its presence in the UAE and wider Gulf region

The two organisations will jointly recruit and train young Arabs for roles within Crescent Group companies

Sharjah, UAE; November 7, 2013: Crescent Enterprises, a UAE-based conglomerate operating across multiple core sectors of the global economy, has partnered as a founding Gulf supporter with not-for-profit organisation Education For Employment (EFE) to scale up employment programmes for Arab youth across the Middle East and North Africa, and provide EFE with ongoing strategic guidance and networking support. As part of the cooperation agreement signed by Badr Jafar, Chief Executive Officer of Crescent Enterprises and Managing Director of Crescent Group, and Ron Bruder, Chairman and Founder of EFE, Crescent Enterprises will support EFE in establishing its presence in the UAE and throughout the Gulf region.  

As an international network of affiliated not-for-profit organisations dedicated to creating economic opportunities for unemployed, high-potential youth in the Middle East and North Africa, the recent expansion of EFE's Middle East operations comes at a crucial time, with youth unemployment continuing to rise throughout the region. According to the "International Labour Organization's Global Employment Trends 2013" report, the Middle East has the highest regional rate of youth unemployment at 28.3%, a figure that is expected to reach 30% by 2018 if no immediate action is taken. North Africa's rate was also at a high of 23.7%; underscoring the need for a new approach to addressing this challenge in the region as a whole, as well as the timeliness of this partnership.

The partnership will see the two organisations explore opportunities to jointly recruit, train and place young Arabs within Crescent Group companies. EFE will also explore offering custom training programmes for specific job profiles to meet the needs of the Crescent Group companies, as well as provide job support to new employees sourced through EFE, ensuring a smooth transition into the workplace.

Badr Jafar, Chief Executive Officer of Crescent Enterprises and Managing Director of Crescent Group, said: "Today the Arab World is faced with an enormous demographic challenge, and in response, 200 million jobs need to be created over the next 20 years to support a growing population of young people, which are more jobs than were created in the Arab World over the whole of the last century. While the scale of the problem is huge, this is a challenge that we must tackle head on and with great urgency, which is the guiding ethos behind our partnership with Education for Employment."

In addition to already having an established presence in Egypt, Jordan, Morocco, Palestine, Tunisia and Yemen, the UAE offers a strong platform for EFE to further amplify support for youth employment in the region, and provide strategic operational assistance to its affiliates across the Arab World.

Jamie McAuliffe, EFE's President and CEO, said: "Since 2006, EFE has pioneered new ways of connecting the corporate, government and philanthropic sectors to create economic opportunity for youth.  The UAE and Gulf region is a focal point for innovation in these sectors, and we believe that our partnership with Crescent Enterprises to expand EFE's presence in the region will catalyse efforts to increase employment and economic opportunity for youth across the Middle East and North Africa."

-Ends-

About Crescent Enterprises:
Crescent Enterprises is a UAE-based conglomerate operating across eight core sectors of the global economy, with an international presence in 22 countries and employing over 6,000 people through its 20 subsidiaries, which are active in Ports and Logistics, Power and Engineering, Aviation, Healthcare, Media and Entertainment, Real Estate and Construction, IT Commerce, and Private Equity. Crescent Enterprises is a wholly-owned subsidiary of the 42-year old Crescent Group, one of the most progressive family business groups in the Middle East & North Africa (MENA) Region. Crescent Petroleum, the energy vertical of the Group, is the first and the largest independent, privately-owned upstream oil & gas company in the Middle East.

For further information, please visit: www.crescententerprises.com/

About Education For Employment (EFE):
EFE is an international network of affiliated not-for-profit organizations dedicated to creating employment and economic opportunities for unemployed, high potential youth in the Middle East and North Africa by providing world-class training that leads directly to jobs and entrepreneurship support.  Distinctive in measuring its success by job outcomes for its graduates, EFE partners directly with employers to help businesses obtain the qualified, retainable entry-level talent they seek.  EFE also provides training to aspiring entrepreneurs as a complementary pathway to creating jobs and economic opportunity for youth.  Locally-run, affiliated non-profit organizations in the EFE Network are based in Egypt, Jordan, Palestine, Morocco, Tunisia and Yemen. A sister European organization (EuropEFE), operates from Madrid, Spain, to assist EFE-Global in providing technical and development support to the regional affiliates. 

For further information about Crescent Enterprises, please contact:
Liam Turner/Hiba Moussa
ASDA'A Burson-Marsteller
Dubai, UAE
Tel: 971-4-4507600
Fax: 971-4-4358040
E-mail: liam.turner@bm.com / hiba.moussa@bm.com  

© Press Release 2013