Using the slogan “Be'eedak forset rezk hatfedak” (With your hands you can earn your bread and butter), the Be'eedak campaign calls on all Egyptian young people, whatever their education or experience, to start training to realise their dreams and find the jobs they have always dreamed of. The initiative is sponsored by the United Arab Emirates. Be'eedak programmes are carried out in coordination with the Ministry of Industry and Foreign Trade. The aim is to train 100,000 young people in skills needed by the labour market and provide vocational training that supports Egyptian industry. Mahmoud Al-Sherbiny is the head of training at Be'eedak. As he explained, the requirements for applicants are simple: they should be at least 18 years old, whether male or female, have completed military service (in the case of male applicants), and be eager and willing to learn. Akram Abdel-Halim, 22, a graduate of the Faculty of Commerce in Cairo, has been looking for a job since 2014. Ideally, he would like to first work as a trainee, to gain experience to complement his university degree. He saw a television advertisement for the campaign and believes it was tailor-made to meet his needs. “I contacted Be'eedak on their hotline, and they were very helpful,” Abdel-Halim said. “I registered my name, and they explained the four programmes run by Be'eedak. I chose the one suitable for me and they told me that they would call as soon as the group I wanted to join was completed.” Abdel-Halim chose the training-for-work programme, which prepares young people for work in the private sector. Be'eedak called Abdel-Halim within the week, and he was able to start a 25-day course there and then. “I benefited a lot from the course and gained the practical experience I wanted,” he said. The campaign's herafy programme offers courses in the maintenance of home appliances, mobile phones and televisions, along with painting, ceramic tiling and plumbing. At the end of the course, each trainee is given a kit containing equipment he will need to start work, Al-Sherbiny said. The tamkin al-mara (empowerment of women) programme is divided into two parts: wazeftek gowa beitak (your job is in the home), which offers training in the food industry and handmade crafts, and an outside-the-home section that prepares women to work in the private sector. It includes sections related to reviving heritage crafts like patchwork, leatherwork and stained glass. The writer is a freelance journalist.
