QUARTER 1 REPORT
USAID/EGYPT WORKFORCE IMPROVEMENT AND SKILL ENHANCEMENT PROJECT
YEAR 5
CONTRACT NUMBER AID-263-C-16-00002
March 1, 2020
This publication was produced for review by the United States Agency for International Development. It was prepared by MTC International Development Holding Company, LLC.
QUARTER 1 REPORT USAID/EGYPT WORKFORCE IMPROVEMENT AND SKILL ENHANCEMENT PROJECT YEAR 5
CONTRACT NUMBER AID-263-C-16-00002
MARCH 1, 2020
AUTHORS:
JOSEPH GHANEM MOHAMED FAWZY WALID QORISH PETER ILICK JEENA MITRY RANIA SALAH BONNIE BARHYTE ZACH NICHOLS
This report is made possible by the support of the American People through the United States Agency for International Development (USAID). The contents of this report are the sole responsibility of the USAID/Egypt Workforce Improvement and Skill Enhancement project and do not necessarily reflect the views of USAID or the United States Government. USAID/EGYPT WORKFORCE IMPROVEMENT AND SKILL ENHANCEMENT PROJECT
CONTENTS
Contents ...... i Acronyms ...... ii I. Executive Summary ...... 1 Project Overview...... 1 Result A ...... 1 Result B...... 3 Result C...... 3 Partnerships and Coordination in the TVET Sector...... 4 Challenges and Recommendations ...... 5 II. Year 4 Accomplishments by Result Area ...... 6 Result A: Upgrading Technical Secondary Education ...... 6 Objective A.1 Schools’ capacity improved to provide students with technical, practical, entrepreneurial, innovation, and soft skills needed by the market to enhance employability...... 6 Objective A.2 Curricula developed and implemented that meet international standards and address market needs ...... 10 Objective A.5 Develop and pilot innovative and student-centered approaches to technical education ...... 15 Result B: Enhancing Productive Capacity and Ability to Attract and Retain Skilled Employees .... 20 Objective B.2 Technical, practical, and soft skills of selected job seekers upgraded and those job seekers linked to the private sector for employment...... 21 Objective B.3: Productivity of the existing labor force improved ...... 23 Objective B.4: Firms better able to recruit, retrain, and retain their staff ...... 25 Result C: Enhancing the Capacity of Egyptian Stakeholders to Identify and Address Barriers to Labor Market Efficiency ...... 27 Objective C.2 Selected organizations are assisted in developing strategies to advocate for reforms related to labor market efficiency (and positive outcomes of implementing these strategies substantiated) ...... 27 Objective C.3 Stakeholders at the governorate level are supported in addressing identified challenges to labor market efficiency ...... 28 III. Cross-cutting Activities ...... 32 Sustainability and Sustainable Transformation...... 32 Gender Integration ...... 33 Environmental Protection ...... 34 Project Management ...... 35 IV. Annexes ...... 36
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ACRONYMS
3R Recruit, Retrain, and Retain ABA Alexandria Business Association CO Contracting Officer COP Chief of Party COR Contracting Officer’s Representative CUTE Central Unit for Transition to Employment EEAG Enabling Environment Advisory Group EEU Enabling Environment Unit ENCC Egyptian National Competitiveness Council EPC Economic Partnership Council ERU Ebdaa Rehletak Unit FEI Federation of Egyptian Industries GIZ German International Cooperation Agency GIZ-EPP German International Cooperation Agency – Employment Promotion Programme HR Human Resources ILO International Labor Organization LMI Labor market information LOC Letter of Cooperation LUTE Local Unit for Transition to Employment MoETE Ministry of Education and Technical Education MoLD Ministry of Local Development MoSS Ministry of Social Solidarity MoTI Ministry of Trade and Industry MOU Memorandum of Understanding MTC Management & Training Corporation NAPPP National Association of Peer Program Professionals NAQAAE National Authority for Quality Assurance and Accreditation for Education NGO Non-governmental organization OSH Occupational Safety and Health PAT Professional Academy for Teachers PESTEL Political, economic, social, technological, environmental, legal
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PIP Productivity Improvement Program PVTD Productivity and Vocational Training Department (under MoTI) RMG Ready-made garments SEED Strengthening Entrepreneurship and Enterprise Development SUTE School Unit for Transition to Employment SWOT Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities, and Threats TAR Training Achievement Record TCF Textile Consolidation Fund TNA Training needs assessment TOT Training of Trainers TVET Technical and vocational education and training UN United Nations UNIDO United Nations Industrial Development Organization US United States USAID United States Agency for International Development VTEC Vocational Training and Employment Center WISE Workforce Improvement and Skill Enhancement project
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I. EXECUTIVE SUMMARY
The United States Agency for International Development (USAID) Workforce Improvement and Skill Enhancement (WISE) Project began its fifth year of implementation on November 1, 2019. This report describes the activities of the first quarter of Project Year 5 covering the period from November 1, 2019 through January 31, 2020.
PROJECT OVERVIEW WISE supports and collaborates with a variety of public and private sector entities as it provides training and capacity building for stakeholders and counterparts through three result areas: Result A focuses on upgrading technical secondary education to meet the needs of the market in selected governorates and sectors; Result B focuses on improving skills and productivity within the workforce and private sector in selected sectors and governorates; and Result C focuses on supporting an enabling environment for improved labor market efficiency. A hallmark of the WISE project continues to be the strong working relationships established across a wide range of partners. These include the Ministry of Education and Technical Education (MoETE), the Ministry of Local Development (MoLD), and the Ministry of Social Solidarity (MoSS) at the national and governorate levels, the Egyptian National Competitiveness Council (ENCC), the Federation of Egyptian Industries (FEI), the Ministry of Trade and Industry’s Productivity and Vocational Training Department (PVTD), the Textile Consolidation Fund (TCF), a variety of private sector companies, and 63 technical schools across 11 governorates, among others. Collaborating on such a scale is critical to connecting Egypt’s businesses and technical schools, as well as for remaining current with labor market trends and the types of skills that employers are looking for in potential trainees and employees. By tapping into local expertise and engaging these Egyptian partners, WISE is building capacity as it is promoting local ownership for sustainable change with entities that will remain active in workforce development in Egypt after the project has ended. During this first quarter of Project Year 5, momentum was maintained in all WISE result areas. Building on progress made in the first 4 years of the project, WISE continued engaging local partners to ensure an Egyptian-led approach to the project and to promote the sustainability of WISE activities. All of the WISE activities and interventions are closely aligned with USAID’s “Journey to Self-Reliance” strategy with the project’s emphasis on local partnerships further supporting this. Result A With the School Units for Transition to Employment (SUTEs) and the Local Units for Transition to Employment (LUTEs), now established and implementing activities on their own, WISE focused its capacity building on strengthening sustainability in Quarter 1 of Year 5. WISE provided extensive informal coaching and on-demand technical support, while conducting formal training events in accordance with SUTE/LUTE needs. WISE conducted its two-day Employment and Labor Market Information (LMI) Refresher Workshop for 34 SUTE and LUTE members from Red Sea, Fayoum, Beni Suef, and Aswan, as they work to complete the development of the Labor Market Report for WISE Year 2 Governorates. Two direct results of WISE technical assistance and capacity building are (1) the impressive achievements of the 60 WISE-supported SUTEs in facilitating job placements for graduates and in-
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company training opportunities for students, and (2) the increasing number of activities that the SUTEs design, organize, and implement on their own or in cooperation with their respective LUTEs. In Quarter 1 of Year 5, the SUTEs secured employment for 2,368 graduates and in-company training for 586 students, bringing the totals since project inception, respectively, to 28,706 graduates and 17,354 students. In addition, this quarter, the SUTEs implemented more than 25 activities and events—far surpassing the quarterly average of 11 in Year 4. In support of MoETE priorities, WISE continued developing a five-year (3+2) advanced diploma program for the renewable energy specialization and unifying the logistics curriculum, combining the original three sub-specializations (warehouse operations, transportation logistics, and stevedoring) into the single study track Logistics Technician Diploma. Both of these new specializations, the Logistics Diploma Program and the New and Renewable Energy Diploma Program, have been very successful and extremely popular with students. Along with increasing the number of new students in these programs for academic year 2019/20, MoETE and other key stakeholders have provided extensive support to strengthen the programs at the six current schools and to expand the specializations to other schools. In line with USAID’s “Journey to Self-Reliance” strategy, WISE continued its activities to promote sustainability for the two diploma programs, strengthening links between the private sector and technical education. In Quarter 1 of Year 5, Alcazar Energy continued implementing its technical enhancement program for the New and Renewable Energy Program. This extensive program includes the ongoing infrastructure improvement and development at Benban Secondary School, and training for renewable energy teachers and students from both El Ramady Qebly Technical Secondary School and Benban. By the end of the period, Alcazar had completed practical training at its at Benban Solar Park facilities for 20 of the 149 grade 3 students from El Ramady students included in the program. Also, during this quarter, the new Salhia Applied Technology School successfully completed its first semester of instruction in the new competency-based agriculture/water irrigation technology and animal/poultry production technology specializations, for which WISE finalized curricula and related materials. WISE also conducted the Assessment Guide Development Workshop for the animal/poultry production technology specialization A student in the new competency-based agriculture/water irrigation with 20 participants including Salhia technology specialization at the WISE-supported Salhia Applied school teachers and representatives of Technology School. Photo: WISE. MoETE, Salhia Investment and Development Company, and GLOBAL G.A.P., a global organization that sets voluntary standards and provides certifications for good agricultural practices. Through this workshop the assessment materials for the year 2 and 3 curricula were developed.
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Result B During the first quarter of Year 5, WISE concluded its program of interventions at private sector companies under the Productivity Improvement Program (PIP), and made significant progress towards institutionalizing key aspects of its Result B programs with the Textile Consolidation Fund (TCF), the Federation of Egyptian Industries (FEI), the Ministry of Social Solidarity (MoSS), and the Ministry of Local Development (MoLD). A key milestone under Result B was the conclusion of the WISE PIP in November 2019. In total, WISE conducted its five-day Productivity Enhancement Training for 34 private sector partner companies, building the capacity of 263 production supervisors and managers to implement productivity improvement strategies. Twelve companies completed the full two-phase PIP and are now implementing productivity improvement strategies on their own. To build the sustainability of the PIP, WISE conducted in-depth capacity building training for FEI, TCF, and MoSS this period, enabling these organizations to orient private sector companies on productivity improvement techniques. For the 3R program, WISE conducted a series of 3R Toolbox Workshops that will enable FEI to conduct training for the private sector on the HR concepts that are fundamental to the program. In addition, WISE built the capacity of Ebdaa Rehletak multipliers at both the MoSS and MoLD. These multipliers are now able to train other MoSS or MoLD units on the program, as well as train private sector companies on the mentorship skills that are key elements of the Ebdaa Rehletak program. All of these entities are critical players in ensuring that WISE’s Result B interventions are directed towards the “Journey to Self-Reliance,” and continuing WISE’s work to improve the skills and productivity of workers, reduce workforce turnover, and secure employment for job seekers. Ebdaa Rehletak Capacity Building Training for new multipliers from MoSS and MoLD. Photo: WISE. Result C WISE Result C partners, the Egyptian National Competitiveness Council (ENCC) and MoLD, made steady progress this quarter in fostering an improved enabling environment for a market-driven workforce development system that better serves employers and employees in Egypt. The national- level Enabling Environment Unit (EEU) completed the first draft of the advocacy strategy that encompasses the main recommendations from collected at the July 2019 Enabling Environment Advisory Group (EEAG) National Conference, “Enabling Business Environment: Towards More Reforms in the Labor Market.” The strategy addresses the barriers to female participation in the labor market, the cost of licensing for micro and small businesses, and legislation and funding for vocational and technical education/training. During the quarter, WISE coordinated closely with MoLD to finalize the renewal of the MOU for the model Economic Partnership Council (EPC), as well as facilitating the transition between Governors in
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Beni Suef. WISE monitored progress and provided technical support to MoLD’s EPC central and local units and Board as they implemented ongoing activities, including work to finalize four of the sectoral economic strategies for Beni Suef—agriculture, industry and mining, SME/handicrafts, and tourism. As the new Governor assumed his position, he requested MoLD support in starting the implementation of projects recommended in the sector strategies. In addition, he shared a condensed version of the tourism sector strategy with the Prime Minister’s office. Partnerships and Coordination in the TVET Sector The visibility and reputation of technical education is gaining ground in Egypt. With the success to date of the logistics and renewable energy diploma programs, as well as events such as the Fanni Mobtaker innovation competition and Ebdaa Rehletak job fair, employers and community members are seeing first-hand the significant role that technical education can play in preparing young people for immediate employment. Institutionalizing the Ebdaa Rehletak Program, the PIP, and/or the 3R Program will strengthen Egypt’s private sector and facilitate quality employment for job seekers, supporting the demand side of the labor market equation. WISE is encouraged by the continuing support and active interest that Government of Egypt entities are taking in this focus on improving technical education and directly engaging the private sector. The network of active partners in this quest is expanding and WISE continues to look for ways to collaborate with those who understand and are champions for technical and vocational education. During Quarter 1 of Year 5, WISE continued making steady progress with its network of partners in government, education, and the private sector as Egypt seeks to grow its economy, ensure decent employment for its youth, and strengthen its workforce. WISE and MoETE worked together to successfully complete the first semester of instruction of the two new competency-based curricula— agriculture/water irrigation technology and animal/poultry production technology—at the new Salhia Applied Technology School, while also working to finalize the design of a competency-based framework and guidelines for a modern technical school model. WISE and MoLD renewed their agreement to cooperate in supporting the EPC in Beni Suef—an entity that is providing critical input to economic development decision-making in the Governorate. At the same time, WISE’s collaboration with the ENCC led to the first draft of the EEU’s advocacy strategy for use by the EEAG. Collaboration with WISE’s newest partners, MoSS, FEI, and TCF, made significant strides towards the sustainability for the Ebdaa Rehletak Program, the PIP, and the 3R Program. Ongoing cooperation with Alcazar Energy, Agility Global Integrated Logistics, Tayea Logistics Group, Sealand Logistics, and the Arab Academy in support of the logistics and renewable energy programs continued apace. As noted last period, WISE executed the first public-private partnership (including NGOs) in Egypt designed specifically to support innovation programs by bringing together MoETE, the Academy of Science, Research, and Technology (ASRT), local NGO Eitesal, and USAID/WISE in support of the 2019 Fanni Mobtaker Competition. This quarter, ASRT proposed extending cooperation for Fanni Mobtaker, pledging future financial support and eliciting the support of new private sector partners. Cooperation between private sector employers and technical schools is essential if Egypt’s technical education system is to prepare students for immediate employment. Working together, schools are better able to train students in technical and job-readiness skills that are relevant and needed by the private sector. Input from the private sector ensures that teachers understand current labor market needs and can guide their students towards appropriate and satisfying jobs. WISE is helping to facilitate this
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CHALLENGES AND RECOMMENDATIONS Socio-political and economic challenges are not uncommon in an international development context, although their precise nature is often unpredictable. As WISE has done in past years, during the first quarter of Year 5, the project continues to:
• Adapt timeframes and adjust certain activities and interventions to accommodate changes in counterparts’ strategic directions and changes in key ministry officials and staff at the central/national and governorate levels. • Be flexible in working with partners to accommodate changes in their priorities and/or schedules. Since project inception, a challenge that the WISE project has faced is the limited time it has to implement and institutionalize some of the project activities, particularly those that are more directly related to specific companies.
• Coordinating activity timelines, deadlines, and milestones among a large number of counterparts has been challenging. Frequently having to adjust agendas and schedules often affects WISE’s ability to implement activities in a timely fashion. • Several WISE activities require expertise that is not widely available in Egypt. Those who have the necessary qualifications often demand very high compensation. Negotiating rates and terms that comply with the WISE contract have sometimes caused delays in engaging the appropriate local experts. During this reported period, WISE was able, after several months of search and negotiations, to identify a qualified expert to develop an overall strategy for Beni Suef. While WISE makes every effort to begin activities on time, delays may be unavoidable. WISE continues to build on the many accomplishments of the project to date, to reinforce approaches and skills that participants and stakeholders have learned and adopted, and to undertake new initiatives that are aligned with the WISE goals and objectives. This report includes details for all three result area activities, a section on cross-cutting themes, and annexes where training program descriptions, monitoring and evaluation data, and other supporting documentation can be found.
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II. YEAR 4 ACCOMPLISHMENTS BY RESULT AREA
RESULT A: UPGRADING TECHNICAL SECONDARY EDUCATION Result A is focused on improving the supply of labor in Egypt by strengthening and expanding the model for the School Units for Transition to Employment (SUTE), the Local Units for Transition to Employment (LUTE) at the governorate level, and the Central Unit for Transition to Employment (CUTE) at the national ministry level. Under Result A, WISE is helping to reduce the skills mismatch and improve the employability of youth and women while also upgrading the quality of the labor market. Result A also includes integrating entrepreneurship curricula and safety training and materials that meet international and Egyptian safety standards into project-supported schools; developing internationally-benchmarked standards for technical education; and supporting and strengthening school governance and management. All of this is being done in the context of supporting the Ministry of Education and Technical Education’s (MoETE) vision for reforming the entire Egyptian technical education sector. Objective A.1 Schools’ capacity improved to provide students with technical, practical, entrepreneurial, innovation, and soft skills needed by the market to enhance employability ACTIVITY A.1.2 PROVIDE TECHNICAL ASSISTANCE AND SUPPORT TO SUTES During Quarter 1 of Year 5, WISE continued to focus on strengthening the sustainability of the UTE model, while providing technical support for the successful implementation of SUTE and LUTE activities during the 2019/20 academic year. WISE and LUTE staff conducted weekly visits to each SUTE, monitoring their activities, ensuring knowledge transfer, and facilitating relationships with the private sector. WISE uses the SUTE monthly progress reports to guide activities, direct resources, and plan additional training and coaching to further build the capacity of each of the five departments— Training and Skills Enhancement, Career Guidance and Counseling, Employment and Labor Market Information, Entrepreneurship and Innovation, and Occupational Safety and Health (OSH). WISE also met regularly with the MoETE Undersecretaries for Education and Directors of Technical Education in each of the 11 Governorates to hold coordination and review meetings during the quarter. The SUTEs and LUTEs are now established and implement activities on their own, therefore, WISE capacity building in Year 5 will be provided according to SUTE/LUTE needs and will focus on informal coaching and on- demand technical support. Formal training events will only target specific areas of UTE operations that require additional emphasis at this phase in the Students celebrate the close of a career guidance workshop conducted by the Red Sea LUTE. Photo: WISE. project. Along with informal coaching and technical support, WISE conducted three iterations of its two-day Employment and Labor Market Information (LMI) Refresher Workshop in Quarter 1 of Year 5 for a
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total of 34 SUTE and LUTE members from Red Sea, Fayoum, Beni Suef, and Aswan (the workshop in Fayoum included SUTE and LUTE members from Beni Suef). This training focused on reinforcing skills and knowledge, and strengthening the elements of sustainability that support the operations of the SUTE Employment and LMI Departments after the end of the project. This refresher training also ensured that participants are using the data collection portal effectively and efficiently. The SUTEs in the remaining eight WISE-supported Governorates are scheduled to receive this capacity building training in Quarter 2. (See Annex B for WISE training descriptions and details of training events delivered in Quarter 1 of Year 5.) The Impact of WISE Technical Assistance and Support for SUTEs The impact of WISE technical support and capacity building continues to translate directly into a stronger, more comprehensive UTE model and high achievement across all SUTE departments. Teacher training, career guidance, and OSH components can be linked to positive student outcomes as students are better prepared to enter the workforce. Additionally, entrepreneurship training is helping students to develop critical thinking skills that are essential in the labor market whether starting one’s own business or working in a factory. SUTE staff’s consistent awareness of employment and labor market information has led to impressive increases from one quarter to the next in the in-company training and employment numbers for WISE technical school students and graduates. These achievements reflect the strengthened capacity of SUTE Employment Department members to more readily identify opportunities and successfully match students with private sector companies. This progress also underscores the improved work-readiness of graduates and students due to WISE-supported SUTE activities. Such success unequivocally demonstrates the positive impact of WISE training and technical assistance. Employment and In-Company Training Secured. Based on validated data, the 60 SUTEs secured employment for 2,368 graduates and in-company training for 586 students during the quarter ending December 31, 2019. From the beginning of the project through December 31, 2019:
• 28,706 graduates have been employed
• 17,354 students have Students from WISE-supported Om El Muminin Technical East Tazmant School in Beni Suef receive in-company training at Swiss participated in in-company Garments. Photo: WISE. training The chart below shows the impressive achievements of the SUTEs in securing employment for graduates and in-company training for students since the inception of the WISE project on November 1, 2015. (As of the writing of this report, WISE was in the process of validating data for January 2020, which will be included in the next reporting period.)
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SUTE Achievements in Securing Employment and In-company Training ̶̶ Project Inception to December 31, 2019
28,706 26,338
17,180
17,354 16,768 5,645 12,074
409 5,057 568 Project Inception Year 1 Year 2 Year 3 Year 4 Year 5/Quarter 1
Employment In-company Training
Please see Annex A for details on these placements by school. Note: Due to discrepancies in previous periods, achievements figures have been adjusted for this report. Integration of Career Guidance and Counseling and Entrepreneurship and Innovation Curricula throughout Egypt’s Technical Education System. As per the agreement with MoETE, the roll-out of the career guidance and counseling and the entrepreneurship and innovation curricula by the joint team of WISE, ILO, GIZ/EPP, TVET Egypt and UNIDO, continued in Quarter 1 of Year 5. For career guidance, all 48,222 students in the 60 WISE-supported schools participated in sessions tailored to grade 1, 2, or 3 curricula during the first semester of academic year 2019/20—16,404 grade 1 students, 15,902 grade 2 students, and 15,916 grade 3 students. For entrepreneurship, all 34,498 students who enrolled in entrepreneurship classes in the 2019/20 academic year received instruction on either grade 1 or grade 2 of the WISE-developed unified entrepreneurship and innovation curriculum—17,389 grade 1 students and 17,109 grade 2 students. Female students represented 46.4% of the total participants benefiting from career guidance and counseling sessions and 48.4% of the total participants in the entrepreneurship classes. SUTE Initiatives to Enhance Services. During Quarter 1 of Year 5, WISE technical support for the SUTEs focused on elements of sustainability at the school-level to ensure that the units not only function but thrive beyond the end of the project. One strong indicator of the capabilities of the SUTEs to operate and expand benefits for their students, teachers, and the surrounding communities is evident in the increasing number of activities that they design, organize, and implement on their own or in cooperation with their respective LUTEs. During this quarter, the SUTEs began employing new strategies that will optimize resources and create deeper cooperation between the schools. One such strategy that has proved successful is the collaboration of the entire group of SUTEs in a given Governorate to organize an activity or event. The following six examples of this new strategy were implemented this quarter.
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1. All 10 Alexandria SUTEs collaborated with non-WISE-supported El Wardian Advanced School (a cascading school) to host a career day. Amer Electronics Group was invited to interview the graduates and job seekers. 2. OSH Department members from the five WISE-supported schools in Fayoum Governorate collaborated with the Fayoum University Faculty of Nursing to conduct first aid training for students. The five schools are: Secondary Technical Hotel School Demo; Fayoum Industrial El Hadkah School; Tamia Technical Secondary School; Hawara El Makatta Advanced Technical Industrial School; and Nasser Industrial Secondary School. 3. The eight WISE-supported SUTEs in Ismailia organized an employment day at
the Governorate’s Youth Center. The five Fayoum SUTEs organized first aid training for the students delivered by the Fayoum University Faculty Americana Food Company offered 50 job of Nursing. Photo: WISE. opportunities. 4. In Ismailia, the eight SUTEs, Education Directorate, and Manpower Directorate collaborated to host the first Conference for Small Projects and Entrepreneurship. The conference exhibition featured 50 innovative projects from teams of student-entrepreneurs representing technical schools in the Governorate; 35 of the projects on display had previously been entered in the 2019 Fanni Mobtaker Competition. 5. Employment members from the seven WISE-supported SUTEs in Port Said conducted a group visit to the Governorate’s Youth Center to discuss proposed cooperation through which the Center would facilitate job opportunities for students at Port Said’s ports. 6. Employment members from the six WISE-supported SUTEs in Gharbiya met with and secured the agreement of a group of construction companies operating in the Governorate to provide on-the-job training for students. In total, the 60 WISE-supported SUTEs implemented more than 25 activities and events in Quarter 1 of Year 5—far surpassing the quarterly average in Year 4 of 11 activities or events. The SUTEs are actively enhancing and expanding services to students by organizing or participating in job fairs and career days, and conducting field trips and seminars related to employment, entrepreneurship, and innovation. SUTEs are leveraging the private sector relationships established by WISE, as well as approaching new companies directly, to secure jobs and in-company training opportunities. In addition, the SUTEs and LUTEs are actively encouraging student participation in competitions and exhibitions devoted to innovation and entrepreneurship. The SUTEs are employing tactics that were developed with WISE’s support to ensure the strength and sustainability of the UTE model. (See Annex C for additional SUTE and LUTE progress in expanding the UTE model.)
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ACTIVITY A.1.3 ENCOURAGE ENTREPRENEURSHIP AND INNOVATION WITHIN THE TECHNICAL SCHOOL SYSTEM FANNI MOBTAKER Fanni Mobtaker Innovation Competition. In January (“INNOVATIVE TECHNICIAN”) 2020, the Academy for Scientific Research and Fanni Mobtaker is: Technology (ASRT) recommended that the 2019 Fanni • A WISE innovation competition developed Mobtaker Competition cooperation protocol be extended by Ideaspace in 2018 for all WISE- supported schools. for three additional years, beginning with the academic • The first innovation competition in Egypt year 2020/21. To ensure the competition’s success, ASRT specifically for technical secondary school will pledge EGP 2.5 million for the first year with annual students. • The largest innovation competition held in increases of 10% for the second and third years of the Africa and the Middle East. extension period. ASRT is keen to build private sector Fanni Mobtaker encourages technical school support for student prototyping through the Fanni students to: Mobtaker Competition and has elicited the cooperation of • Think like entrepreneurs. • Develop their own innovative ideas. Google’s “Skills for Google” Program. The Google • Transform those ideas into successful program is designed to develop the technology skills of products or services that can benefit TVET students to prepare a “right-skilling” workforce Egyptian communities and contribute to a growing Egyptian labor market. that meets the needs for private sector growth.
Significantly, this proposal would ensure the continuation of ASRT’s support for Fanni Mobtaker beyond the remaining two-year term of the current ASRT President. The partners for the 2019 Fanni Mobtaker were MoETE, the Academy of Scientific Research and Technology (ASRT), local NGO Eitesal, and USAID/WISE. The quadripartite MOU, executed on July 15, 2019, represented the first public-private partnership (including NGOs) in Egypt designed to specifically support innovation programs. As the proposed period of the extension would go beyond the close of the WISE project, discussions are underway on how to amend the cooperation protocol to ensure the Fanni Mobtaker Competition is fully supported in the future. Support from USAID could be provided under a follow-on project to WISE. Objective A.2 Curricula developed and implemented that meet international standards and address market needs Using a competency-based training approach, WISE has refined and finalized the development of curricula for two new technical specialties (logistics and new and renewable energy) and piloted these curricula in selected schools. In addition to the two technical curricula, WISE has completed the development of a unified entrepreneurship and innovation curriculum, together with the Entrepreneurship Coordination Donors’ Committee (ILO, USAID, UNIDO, GIZ, and TVET Egypt). This activity was requested by MoETE in order to pilot a unified curriculum across all technical secondary schools. ACTIVITY A.2.1 CREATE CURRICULA FOR TWO NEW SPECIALTIES The logistics and new and renewable energy specializations have been very successful and extremely popular with students. Along with increasing the number of new students accepted into these programs for academic year 2019/20, MoETE and other key stakeholders have provided extensive support to strengthen the programs at the six current schools and expand the specializations to other schools. WISE and the current WISE-supported schools are actively supporting the MoETE as it seeks to identify new
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schools where these two specializations can be offered. An example of this support during Quarter 1 of Year 5 is the experience-sharing session that WISE-supported Maritime Industrial Secondary School in Port Said hosted on November 13, 2019 for students of New Damietta Industrial School, a new school where MoETE is establishing the Logistics Diploma Program. During this session, the students from Maritime Industrial Secondary School spoke about the benefits of the WISE-developed
Logistics Diploma Program. Port Said’s Maritime Industrial Secondary School hosts a day of experience-sharing to support MoETE’s plans to New and Renewable Energy Diploma establish the Logistics Diploma Program at New Damietta Program Industrial School. Photo: WISE. US Ambassador’s Visit to Aswan. On December 12, 2019, WISE hosted a visit to Benban Secondary School for the newly appointed US Ambassador to Egypt. The visit started with a meeting with the Deputy Minister for Technical Education, USAID Mission Director, Undersecretary for Education in Aswan, two private sector representatives from Alcazar Energy and Solar Power, USAID COR, and WISE COP and DCOP. During the meeting, the Deputy Minister for Technical Education spoke about the importance of the Benban Solar Park. As the largest solar park in the Middle East, it has not only transformed the economy of Aswan, but will also allow Egypt to soon begin exporting electricity to Sudan, and thereafter, Jordan and Libya. He explained that, along with expanding power generation at Benban, Egypt is planning to build a new, larger solar park in Minya that will also include wind power generation. The Deputy Minister then pointed to the importance of strengthening technical education at a time when Egypt is seeking investment to support its economic growth plans. He noted that 10% of Egypt’s two million secondary school graduates are from the technical education system. He expressed MoETE’s appreciation for USAID’s support for these efforts over the previous three years and highlighted these specifics: 1. The introduction of the WISE-developed renewable energy specialization, as well as the logistics specialization that is essential for economic growth in the Suez region. The new US Ambassador to Egypt visits 2. The use of the competency-based education model in Aswan to learn about the New and the development of curricula in both specializations. Renewable Energy Program at Benban Secondary School. Photo: WISE. The model has been adopted by MoETE with the goal of converting all technical education curricula in Egypt to competency-based approach. 3. USAID’s assistance in transforming commercial schools into demand-driven specializations.
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In response to a question from the US Ambassador, the Alcazar representative said that they currently employ 60 individuals in their four sub-stations in the Benban Solar Park. He also said that the company is looking to hire graduates from Benban Secondary School and support improved livelihoods for Aswan families. He also mentioned the Alcazar summer internship program for 96 Benban school students and the company’s participation in WISE workshops to identify industry-required competencies for the development of the renewable energy curricula. In response: 1. The Deputy Minister confirmed the positive impact of the summer internship program in enhancing the technical skills of the students. 2. The USAID COR noted that private sector participation was essential in developing the renewable energy curricula. 3. The Solar Power representative said that WISE played an outstanding role in enhancing market- needed skills in the renewable energy program. 4. The Mission Director commented that students are selecting the schools that offer the logistics and renewable energy specializations, and are choosing to move from the regular education system to these schools. The US Ambassador then visited several renewable energy classes where teachers gave an overview of teaching the competency-based renewable energy curricula and the teacher-training conducted by WISE. The students talked about what they have learned through the renewable energy program, including the range of solar power systems, the difference between on- and off-grid solar panel operation, and solar panel maintenance. The highlight of the classroom visits was the experience a student shared about working this past summer in a tourism office in Cairo. After noticing the high electricity bills at the office, he suggested the owner consider installing an off-grid solar panel system on the roof as a cost-savings measure. The owner followed through and later asked the student to come work for the company after graduation. An additional positive outcome is that the owner also intends to help this student establish a solar panel maintenance company. Despite being on a tight schedule, the Ambassador stayed long enough to observe students installing solar panels on the school roof and to tour a renewable energy innovation exhibition. At the conclusion of his visit, the Ambassador said: “this was very inspirational,” and told the students he is confident they will play a major role in growing the economy of Egypt. Renewable Energy Curricula Development: Developing Years 4 and 5. After receiving concurrence from MoETE for the courses to be developed for year 4 of the New and Renewable Energy Program, WISE worked closely with subcontractor Nahdet Misr to develop the curriculum and related materials. WISE finalized the year 4 assessment materials, and forwarded them to Nahdet Misr to begin the development of the curriculum. At the end of this quarter, Nahdet Misr had completed two of the 10 modules for year 4—Power Electronics and Technical Mathematics. WISE is currently reviewing the study guides for these two modules. WISE and Nahdet Misr also completed the year 4 training toolkit, which will be used in teacher training to be jointly conducted by WISE and Nahdet Misr in February 2020. WISE concluded the revision of the year 5 assessment materials during this quarter and then met with representatives from MoETE’s Electrical Industries Specialization Department to review the materials. At the end of this 2-day meeting, held January 22-23, 2020, participants reached agreement on the year 5 curriculum outline. The MoETE representatives signed-off on the related document, which has been
YEAR 5 QUARTER 1 REPORT PAGE 12 USAID/EGYPT WORKFORCE IMPROVEMENT AND SKILL ENHANCEMENT PROJECT sent to the Ministry for endorsement. WISE expects to complete the year 5 curriculum and all related materials in Quarter 2. Diploma Program/Grade 2 Student Assessments. In Quarter 1 of Year 5, WISE conducted comprehensive assessments of 272 grade 2 students in the New and Renewable Energy Diploma Program at the three WISE-supported schools. From December 22 to 25, WISE assessed a total of 234 grade 2 renewable energy students in Aswan Governorate—147 students from El Ramady Qebly Technical Secondary School and 87 students from Benban Secondary School. From January 4 to 6, WISE conducted assessments of the grade 2 Diploma Program students at Red Sea Technical School for Girls—of the total 40 grade 2 students at the school, 38 completed the full assessment. The student assessments were based on the updated assessment guide that was revised by the new curricula advisors and included both theoretical and practical sections. Fourteen teachers from El Ramady, 11 teachers from Benban Secondary, and 6 teachers from Red Sea Technical helped with conducting these assessments. All of these teachers had been trained by WISE in April 2019 on implementing the assessment process. By the end of the period, WISE had completed the review and analysis process for the student assessments. The final report for Benban Secondary has been submitted to the school and WISE expects to complete the final reports for the other two schools early in the coming quarter. Alcazar Energy Technical Enhancement Program. On December 18, 2019, WISE met with the Alcazar Energy Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) Manager to discuss ongoing cooperation and build upon the successful collaborations that started in April 2019. The meeting resulted in agreement to:
• Continue the extensive infrastructure improvement and development initiative at Benban Secondary School being implemented by Alcazar Energy in cooperation with WISE and MoETE. The initiative includes renovating several of the school’s physical elements, including: (1) the electrical system (e.g., installing additional solar panels on the school roof to generate more electricity); (2) the water and sanitation system (e.g., replacing old piping and modernizing bathrooms); and (3) the landscape (e.g., building football fields, basketball courts, etc.). The initiative will include awareness sessions for school management, teachers, and students on how to maintain the school infrastructure and more efficiently use the water, sanitation, and energy systems. • Pilot an energy-generating school model at the beginning of 2020. WISE and Alcazar Energy will lobby the New and Renewable Energy Authority and Ministry of Electricity and Energy for a net metering contract for Benban Secondary. (Net metering is an agreement between a customer and the power provider that would allow Benban Secondary to receive credits on its electricity bill when its solar panels produce excess electricity that is sent back to the power grid.) If approved, the school could have an additional source of income from selling the electricity to the grid. • Organize a program of one-day site visits for all 149 grade 3 students from El Ramady Qebly Technical Secondary School to Alcazar Energy facilities at Benban Solar Park beginning in late December 2019. • Conduct a technical enhancement training program for 128 grade 3 students from Benban Secondary beginning in mid-February 2020. Over the course of 10-11 consecutive weeks,
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groups of approximately 12 students each will receive six days of training—two days of in- class training at Benban Secondary and four days of on-the-job training at Alcazar Energy Benban Solar Park facilities. (This program is a replication of the successful initiative launched in Summer 2019 by Alcazar in coordination with WISE.) By the end of the period, Alcazar had implemented the first round of practical training visits for grade 3 students from El Ramady. On December 26, 2019, the first group of 20 students received practical training at Alcazar’s facilities at Benban Solar Park; the program will continue after the mid-year break. In addition, Alcazar has delivered a multi-function printer and new garbage receptacles to Benban Secondary as part of the infrastructure improvement and development initiative. Logistics Diploma Program Finalization of the Logistics Diploma Program for Handover to MoETE. As reported last period, WISE received official notification from the Sector Head of Technical education on October 7, 2019, that MoETE had adopted the unified logistics curriculum, which combines the three sub-specializations (warehouse operations, transportation logistics, and stevedoring) into the single study track Logistics Technician Diploma. In Quarter 1 of Year 5, WISE staff and logistics consultants continued working on the program study guides based on the revised competencies and program framework. The 14 study guides are:
• Grade 1: Logistics, OSH, Communications Skills, and General Skills (4 separate study guides) • Grade 2: Logistics, OSH, Communications Skills, and General Skills (4 separate study guides) • Grade 3: Logistics, OSH, Communications Skills, Stevedoring, Transportation Supervision, and Warehouse Operations (6 separate study guides) By the end of the period, all 14 study guides were nearing finalization. Each study guide is being modified by the responsible WISE logistics consultant and then reviewed and finalized by WISE. WISE will then design practical exercises and integrate them into the final versions of the study books. At the same time, WISE and the project’s logistics experts are also revising the assessment materials for the three years of the Logistics Diploma. The modified assessment materials will be included as annexes to the 14 study guides. For the final step, WISE will print the study guides with practical exercises and annexes. Logistics Diploma Program Graduates. During Quarter 1 of Year 5, WISE continued monitoring the first class of 55 logistics students who graduated from the three-year Logistics Diploma Program. and assisting them with career choices. WISE and career guidance multipliers also assisted these graduates by providing advice and helping them to make informed decisions about their individual career paths— whether to pursue employment, higher education, or both simultaneously. WISE organized interviews with Ateb Group for undecided graduates from Port Fouad Maritime Industrial Secondary School in Port Said; five signed contracts and began their new positions by the end of December 2019. The current status of the 55 graduates is as follows:
• 33 are working in full-time jobs facilitated by WISE, with 15 of them also pursing higher education studies outside of working hours. • 6 are employed at jobs not facilitated by WISE. • 14 are pursuing higher education only.
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• 2 are unreachable and are presumed to have changed addresses. ACTIVITY A.2.2 DEVELOP/ADAPT AND LAUNCH ENTREPRENEURSHIP CURRICULUM In Quarter 1 of Year 5, WISE continued to closely monitor the roll-out of the entrepreneurship and innovation curriculum across the 11 WISE Governorates in accordance with the schedule agreed to by MoETE and the Entrepreneurship Donors’ Committee. As noted above in Activity A.1.2, all 34,498 students who enrolled in entrepreneurship UNIFIED ENTREPRENEURSHIP AND classes in the 2019/20 academic year received INNOVATION CURRICULUM instruction on either grade 1 or grade 2 of the • Collaborative effort among donors including WISE-developed unified entrepreneurship and USAID/WISE. innovation curriculum—17,389 grade 1 • Developed unified entrepreneurship curriculum in Year 3. • WISE finalized curricula in Year 4 with added innovation students and 17,109 grade 2 students. component per MoETE request. • Curriculum integrates: The Entrepreneurship Coordination Donors’ 15 competencies using EU EntreComp Competencies Committee (ILO, USAID, UNIDO, GIZ, and Framework; and TVET-Egypt) met twice during Quarter 1 of Sections of the TVET Egypt manual for innovation. • Curriculum will eventually be taught throughout Egypt’s Year 5 to discuss and plan for the next steps in technical education system. the roll-out of the unified curriculum to all Egyptian technical schools. Through the meetings, which were held on November 26, 2019 and January 13, 2020, the donors agreed to:
• Adjust the curriculum based on the lessons learned from the initial roll-out in academic years 2018/19 and 2019/20. The process of collecting feedback from facilitators and schools is scheduled to begin in April 2020. • Select and train a cadre of new entrepreneurship multipliers to support MoETE in full dissemination of the curriculum throughout the technical education system and create a cadre of entrepreneurship monitors to work at the CUTE and LUTE levels to provide oversight during dissemination. WISE and GIZ are currently developing the criteria for the selection process and training is scheduled to begin in June 2020. • Unify the various entrepreneurship and innovation competitions. The donors have yet to identify an entity with which to initiate the unification process. Objective A.5 Develop and pilot innovative and student-centered approaches to technical education To better reflect the work being undertaken in Years 3 and 4, USAID approved WISE’s recommendation to revise the title of Objective A.5 (as stated above) and to add Activity A.5.2 Develop and Pilot a Peer Helping Program for Technical Secondary Schools. The groundwork for the Peer Helping Program was completed under Activity A.1.1 in Year 2. During Year 3, WISE launched and piloted the Peer Helping Program in eight project-supported schools. Based on USAID approval of MoETE requests in Year 3, Activity A.5.3 was incorporated under Objective A.5 to support MoETE’s vision for reforming the Egyptian technical education sector. In Year 4, WISE began providing assistance for two new initiatives: (1) drafting “how to” manuals for the development of a Modern Technical School Model, and (2) establishing the Salhia Applied Technology School.
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ACTIVITY A.5.2 DEVELOP AND PILOT A PEER HELPING PROGRAM FOR TECHNICAL
SECONDARY SCHOOLS WISE PEER HELPING PROGRAM In December 2019, the WISE M&E team The WISE Peer Helping Program is an innovative approach completed a full round of visits to all eight to improving the school environment and leveraging an already strong but informal peer network that exists in schools with Peer Helping Programs to collect Egypt’s technical schools. the challenges and lessons learned from program School leaders and staff guide and support students as they implementation. WISE conducted meetings take on various roles: • with school managers, Peer Helping facilitators, Peer Helpers: Listen to peers, help peers to problem solve, and refer them to professional resources as Peer Helping students, and school psychologists appropriate. and counselors, as well as students not involved • Peer Mediators: Assist confrontational peers (disputants) with resolving conflicts. in the Peer Helping Programs, in order to gauge • Peer Ambassadors: Help orient peers who are new to the effectiveness of the program and its impact the technical schools; assist them in choosing st on students and the overall school environment. appropriate trade; support them throughout 1 year. • Peer Tutors: Assist peers with academic and technical The eight WISE-supported schools that subject challenges and attendance. • Career Guidance Assistants: Assist and reinforce the completed the pilot phase in 2018/19 and began skills taught by adult career guidance facilitators; their second year of implementation this facilitate group lessons around success in the workplace and other topics identified by the school. academic year are:
• Alexandria: Rowshdy Technical School, El Wardian Technical School, and Mohamed Ali Decorative and Architectural Technical School. • Ismailia: El Kassassen Technical School and Ismailia Advanced Hotel and Tourism School • Port Said: Port Said Hotels School and Martyr Mahmoud Mohsen Abou Gamra Advanced Technical School (formerly named Port Said Advanced Technical School). • Aswan: Mohamed Saleh Harb Advanced Technical School The findings of the assessments were compiled by WISE for use in updating the Peer Helping Program training materials to improve the effectiveness of training. Adjustments to the training materials will incorporate lessons learned from pilot implementation and be more user-friendly. WISE has engaged a local subject matter expert to assist in revising the materials. The updated materials will be used to introduce the Peer Helping Program at additional WISE schools and as a refresher for the facilitators in the eight pilot schools. The training is scheduled to take place in the second quarter of Year 5. WISE is currently finalizing a list of seven new schools that will initiate Peer Helping Programs. At least one school will be selected from each of the governorates of Red Sea, Sharquia, Gharbiya, Menoufia, Beni Suef, and Fayoum. Ongoing Implementation at the Eight Pilot Schools. By the beginning of Quarter 1 of Year 5, the majority of programs had formulated their activity plans and presented them to school management for concurrence. Here are two examples of activities implemented by the Peer Helping Programs during this period:
• The Peer Ambassadors at Alexandria’s El Wardian Technical School conducted a field visit to the University of Alexandria where they were introduced to the different departments within the Faculty of Engineering. This group of Peer Ambassadors have been extremely active in collecting information about employment and higher education options to share with their fellow students.
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• Ismailia’s Al Kassassen Technical School held a ceremony to honor the graduates of last year’s Peer Helping Program team. New members of the Peer Helping team were also introduced at the event. During the first semester of academic year 2019/20, 276 new Peer Helpers joined the program at the eight pilot schools. Mohamed Saleh Harb Advanced Technical School in Aswan completed training of its group of new Peer Helpers early this quarter. Peer Helper training at the remaining seven schools will be completed in the second semester, after the facilitators have received the refresher training with the updated Peer Helping materials. ACTIVITY A.5.3 SUPPORT MOETE VISION FOR REFORMING THE EGYPTIAN TECHNICAL EDUCATION SECTOR Modern Technical School Model for MoETE During Quarter 1 of Year 5, WISE provided technical support and closely monitored the drafting process of the “how to” manuals that will guide the development of a model for modern technical schools in the Egyptian technical education system. The manuals will cover a range of topics to include:
• School Governance and Stakeholders Communication Plan • School Financial Modeling and Fundraising • School Career Development Center (CDC) • School Infrastructure (New and Old Establishments) • Competency-based Curricula, Faculty, and Administration Development • School Accreditation and Education Quality From November 14 to 16, 2019, WISE held a workshop in Alexandria to present the set of “draft one” manuals developed for the Modern Technical School model. Participants included the Deputy Minister for Technical Education, the Deputy Minister for Teachers Affairs and Administration, the Head of the Technical Education Sector, other officials from MoETE, and USAID. The discussions generated very beneficial feedback that is being incorporated into the second draft of the manuals. The feedback included:
• Overall, the MoETE representatives expressed high satisfaction with the comprehensiveness of WISE’s approach to the development of a model based on best practices in technical schools for Egypt. • The Deputy Minister for Teachers Affairs and Administration suggested the pilot implementation of the model be done under the brand name of “WISE schools.’’ • The MoETE representatives expressed their concerns about challenges to implementation, particularly in the process of rolling out the model to all the technical schools in Egypt. MoETE recommended the following next steps in the process:
• Continue discussions with the Ministry regarding the most suitable financial model/track to be adopted. • Develop a sample business model for the MTS. • Develop a roadmap for a gradual implementation of the model and decide on target schools.
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• Emphasize the interlinkages within the manuals between the six pillars—governance and legal; finance and fundraising; competency-based education; admissions and career development center; infrastructure and information technology; and quality assurance and accreditation. Prior to the workshop, WISE held two separate full-day sessions to help the consultants prepare for the workshop with MoETE. The first day was devoted to finalizing the first full draft of the Competency- based Curricula, Faculty, and Administration Development manual. During the session, the consultants tasked with developing this manual received important feedback from WISE’s international competency-based education expert and the project staff supervising the MTS activity. On the second day, the full team of consultants undertook a dry-run presentation of all “draft one” manuals and were given feedback by the WISE staff. Following the November 14-16, workshop, WISE held internal meetings with the team of consultants and subcommittees for each of the manuals to discuss the MoETE feedback and plan for the finalization of the manuals. The team is currently modifying the draft manuals, in accordance with MoETE recommendations, to emphasize the interlinkages within the manuals between the six pillars.
Salhia Applied Technology School SALHIA APPLIED TECHNOLOGY SCHOOL In September 2019, MoETE, Salhia Investment and During Quarter 1 of Year 5, WISE provided Development Company, and WISE signed an MOU to technical support to the new Salhia Applied establish the first applied technology school for Technology School as it successfully concluded its agriculture in the technical education system in Egypt—Salhia Applied Technology School. The school first semester of instruction. WISE participated in began offering two new competency-based st the selection committee for the school principal, specializations in the 1 semester of the 2019/20 academic year at the Salhia farm in Sharquia: and a representative from WISE was added to the 1. agriculture/water irrigation technology school’s administrative board. 2. animal/poultry production technology Early in the quarter, WISE completed the WISE role includes: (1) develop competency-based training guides for the two specializations; (2) assessment guide for the first and second units of participate in teacher, administrator, and student both of the new competency-based specializations selection; (3) train teachers on entrepreneurship/innovation, career guidance, teacher- in agriculture/water irrigation technology and training skills, and employment (match-making animal/poultry production technology and graduates with employers); and (4) evaluate the school delivered them for use by the school. Throughout in the next academic year based on the technical education standards developed by WISE in 2018. the period, WISE worked on finalizing the full year 1 curricula for both specializations, while also initiating work on years 2 and 3 of the curricula. From January 23 to 29, 2020, WISE conducted the Assessment Guide Development Workshop for the animal/poultry production technology specialization. The 20 participants included Salhia school teachers and representatives of MoETE, Salhia Investment and Development Company, and GLOBAL G.A.P., a global organization that sets voluntary standards and provides certifications for good agricultural practices. Through this workshop, held in Ismailia, the assessment materials for the years 2 and 3 curricula of the animal/poultry production technology specialization were developed. Throughout the period, WISE conducted monitoring visits to the Salhia Applied Technology School to provide technical support and ensure implementation remained on track. On January 12, 2020, WISE facilitated a site visit to the school for a group of MoETE officials from Cairo. Sharquia’s Undersecretary for Education also participated in the visit, which included observation of students during their practical exams.
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RESULT A CHALLENGES • As the WISE project enters its final year, there is less flexibility in the work plan. Work in support of MoETE’s MTS model, the Salhia Applied Technology School, and creating improved substitute entities for PAT and NAQAAE have been built into this work plan. Yet, WISE understands that as MoETE’s vision for technical education continues to evolve, there could be additional requests for support from the project. As in the past, WISE will discuss any such requests with USAID to ensure that the project objectives are met and resources are deployed for optimal results. • WISE is committed to technically support MoETE in the establishment of new entities that replace PAT and NAQAAE. WISE assistance cannot, however, take off until the units and their staff are selected. Given that one quarter of the final year has already ended, it is not feasible for WISE to provide the longer term technical assistance as originally planned. WISE will work with MoETE and USAID to decide on the most effective assistance once the entities are established. • Lack of funding for the schools is an ongoing challenge, particularly for maintaining the relationships that WISE has built between the schools and the private sector over the longer term. As noted in previous reports, WISE strives to support cost efficient approaches for both sustaining and expanding the UTE model and other programs that the project has established. Examples of WISE’s interventions to overcome these challenges and secure sustainability include: o Establishing the Benban Advisory Board to support the New and Renewable Energy Program and provide an interface with the private sector. o Match-making with private sector companies for practical training programs for students and teachers of the logistics and new and renewable energy programs, a no-cost option to sustain the programs. o Garnering the support of ASRT to support the Fanni Mobtaker Competition for another three years, after the WISE project has ended. o Developing the online learning resources library for the Logistics Program that provides teachers with remote access to a range of materials to enhance the delivery of instruction in the classroom. o The Best Practices Competition for the Logistics Program schools that will increase interaction, collegiality, and friendly competition among students and teachers, and underpin future cooperation and coordination between the schools. o Governorate-level refresher programs offer a low-cost method of replication with the same high impact. WISE emphasizes the inclusion of private sector partners in these events. o Building the “Ideapoint” branding into the project’s contract with Ideaspace, thereby allowing the established innovation clubs to benefit from being a part of the company’s broader private sector network, expertise, systems, and tools. • While WISE has worked with MoETE to halt transfers or secondments of teachers who are trained by WISE (or, at a minimum, limit the duration of secondments), this continues to be a challenge. Moving teachers before they have fully absorbed the content of the WISE training is counterproductive, not just to the individual teacher but also to the school in which they work. In addition, WISE works with the SUTEs to build relationships with private sector counterparts.
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Severing such relationships through the transfer and secondment of teachers is detrimental to the long-term goals of the UTE model. • WISE and the SUTEs recognize the value of tracking and following up with students who have received jobs or are participating in in-company training. However, SUTEs do not have a budget to support such follow-up activities with the private sector. While this is an ongoing and long-term challenge for the SUTEs, the WISE-developed UTE Portal within MoETE’s website should facilitate and streamline the tracking of students and graduates at minimal cost. • Teacher-trainers have noted that teachers continue to find creative solutions to ongoing challenges across all schools, including: (1) outdated and/or non-operational classroom equipment; and (2) the lack of incentives for teachers and students, which undermines effective classroom management. WISE has worked with the teacher-trainers on problem-solving and effective collaboration in order to address these challenges and others.
RESULT B: ENHANCING PRODUCTIVE CAPACITY AND ABILITY TO ATTRACT AND RETAIN SKILLED EMPLOYEES The primary goals of Result B are to improve the skills and productivity of workers, and to reduce workforce turnover in selected sectors and governorates. WISE Result B activities focus on the demand for skilled labor by engaging directly with the Egyptian private sector through: (1) Ebdaa Rehletak, a training and job matching program for out-of-school job seekers; (2) the Productivity Improvement Program (PIP), an intensive capacity building program to help companies improve workforce productivity; and (3) an expansion of the successful Recruit, Retrain, Retain (3R) pilot program. A key starting point for this work is establishing a commitment from the individual companies to partner with WISE. This partnership is achieved through MOUs or Letters of Commitment (LOCs), signed by both parties. During Quarter 1 of Year 5, WISE continued recruiting new companies in the governorates where WISE is working. WISE signed new LOCs with two companies for cooperation on the Ebdaa Rehletak. Annex D includes the full list of all 112 companies that have signed MOUs or LOCs with WISE since the beginning of the project. Meeting with Private Sector Partner SEKEM. On January 27, 2020, WISE conducted a review and assessment visit to SEKEM, the sustainable development organization that has partnered with WISE on all three of the project’s Result B programs—Ebdaa Rehletak, 3R, and PIP. The feedback from SEKEM was both impressive and informative. SEKEM noted:
• The content and delivery of WISE training for the three programs was excellent. • Communications, support, and follow-up from both the WISE Cairo Office and Sharquia Field Office were prompt and effective. • The WISE Cairo Office and Sharquia Field Office teams were professional and made SEKEM “feel like a real partner in the project activities.” • The Ebdaa Rehletak Program methodology is extremely effective and comprehensive in the areas of career counseling, work readiness, on-the-job-training, TAR development, and connecting job seekers to job opportunities. • The 3R Program has produced outstanding results in labor retention that have led to a reduction in employee turnover.
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• The PIP has generated significant results—for example, solving the problem of excessive airborne “particle dust” from the herb production process at the Isis Organic plant; the “particle dust” was negatively affecting the quality of both the final products and the health of workers. • Of all the projects and donors with which SEKEM has worked, WISE has been the most effective and beneficial to the organization’s operations. The SEKEM representatives also made suggestions for improvement in the future. SEKEM suggested Ebdaa Rehletak, or any future employment program, should include mechanisms: (1) to help job seekers who desire to be self-employed; and (2) to produce a change of mindset among youth regarding the benefits of work as opposed to pursuing higher education. SEKEM added that, due their success, the WISE Result B programs should be expanded to additional economic sectors and Governorates; yet, any expansion should include only private sector and institutional partners that have a core belief in the mission of economic development. EBDAA REHLETAK Objective B.2 Technical, practical, and (“START YOUR JOURNEY”) This training-for-employment initiative equips youth aged 18-30 soft skills of selected job seekers with market-relevant life and work-readiness skills, provides on- upgraded and those job seekers linked the-job training, and links them to employment opportunities. to the private sector for employment Training and support are provided by Ebdaa Rehletak Units, established by WISE in cooperation with a variety of Egyptian ACTIVITY B.2.1 CONTINUE THE partners. Program stages: IMPLEMENTATION OF EBDAA 1. Private sector companies help select job seekers and provide REHLETAK PROGRAM an advance guarantee of employment for those successfully Throughout Quarter 1 of Year 5, the completing an on-the-job training phase. 2. Job seekers participate in a WISE soft skills training. Ebdaa Rehletak Units (ERUs) held 3. Job seekers then complete the on-the-job training phase. orientation sessions to introduce the 4. Company supervisors are trained by WISE on mentoring and coaching skills to follow up with recruited job seekers and program to job seekers and private sector support better retention of the workforce. companies, collect information on job 5. Job seekers who successfully complete on-the-job training are vacancies, recruit potential mentors, and hired as full-time employees. Program objectives: promote the program at events. WISE • Reduce gaps between job seeker skills and actual employer supported these efforts by conducting needs; regular site visits to facilitate meetings • Increase employee retention, leading to improved products and services; with private sector companies, review • Help enhance Egypt’s overall global competitiveness. progress, and provide technical assistance. Within the program, each of the following partners is focusing on specific job seeker populations (economic sector and/or geography) that are appropriate to their scope and reach:
• Ministry of Trade and Industry’s Productivity and Vocational Training Department (PVTD) in Gharbiya (textiles), Damietta (furniture), and Sharquia (ready-made garments). • Sustainable development organization SEKEM in Sharquia. • Ministry of Local Development (MoLD) in Beni Suef. • The Arab Academy in Alexandria and Port Said. The ERUs use a range of tactics and tools to market Ebdaa Rehletak and attract job seekers to register for the program. These approaches include online advertising, targeted meetings with NGOs and community-based organizations to obtain referrals, and organizing or participating in events that target job seekers.
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During Quarter 1 of Year 5, the ERUs reported the following achievements:
• 200 job seekers were registered. • 75 job seekers received career counseling. • 20 job seekers received ERU assistance with interviews. • 7 job seekers received work-readiness training. • 7 job seekers were employed and are receiving specialized in-company training. ACTIVITY B.2.2 SET UP, TRAIN, AND OVERSEE THE EBDAA REHLETAK UNITS Through its four-phase Capacity Building Training for Ebdaa Rehletak Central Unit (ERCU) Multipliers, WISE continued working on institutionalizing the Ebdaa Rehletak Program at the Ministry of Social Solidarity (MoSS), Ministry of Local Development (MoLD), and the Industrial Modernisation Centre (IMC) in Quarter 1 of Year 5. One employee of Governorate of Beni Suef, who is a member of the local ERU in Beni Suef and works closely with MoLD, was also included in this training. Under the MOUs WISE has in place with MoSS and MoLD, the training materials were customized to the organizational and workflow structures and systems of these two partners. Although the MOU with IMC has yet to be signed, IMC participated in this capacity building training. WISE and IMC have agreed to terms of cooperation that include IMC facilitating and supporting technical assistance provided by WISE to the Ministry of Trade and Industry’s PVTD’s ERUs. WISE anticipates having a signed MOU by the next quarter. All four phases of capacity building were held at WISE Cairo offices.
• From November 16 to 21, WISE conducted the phase one workshop for a total of 14 participants—8 from MoSS, 5 from MoLD, and 1 IMC. This first phase of training covered program orientation, communication skills, TOT fundamentals (for work-readiness training), competency-based training, entrepreneurship, and facilitation skills. • From December 1 to 5, WISE conducted the phase two workshop for a total of 11 participants— 7 from MoSS, 2 from MoLD, 1 from Beni Suef Governorate, and 1 from IMC. This second phase of training covered understanding the workforce environment for TVET positions, working with youth and the private sector, employability skills, gender integration, and work ethics, as well as job analysis and job description writing. • From December 15 to 19, WISE conducted the phase three workshop for a total of 12 participants—8 from MoSS, 2 from MoLD, 1 from Beni Suef Governorate, and 1 from IMC. This third phase of training covered data collection and analysis, strategic planning, implementation plan development, monitoring and evaluation, KPIs, and milestones. • From January 12 to 16, WISE conducted the fourth and final phase workshop for a total of 12 participants—8 from MoSS, 2 from MoLD, 1 from Beni Suef Governorate, and 1 from IMC. This final phase of training covered leadership, human resources basics, career guidance, crisis management, problem solving, time management, negotiation skills, motivation, marketing, and professional writing. WISE also conducted a roundtable discussion for the multipliers selected from MoSS, MoLD, Beni Suef Governorate, and IMC on December 31, 2019, prior to the final phase workshop. During this roundtable each group of multipliers presented a draft strategic plan for establishing the ERCU within their organization. As the quarter closed, WISE was working with the multipliers to finalize a strategic
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plan for each ERCU, as well as develop a code of ethics and referral lists for job analysis, and conduct PESTEL and SWOT analyses for each ERCU. WISE efforts with MoSS also include developing an ERCU organizational chart, job descriptions, and training packages for a TOT program, job seeker work-readiness, and job seeker entrepreneurship to be used by MoSS in its eventual pilot governorates.
Objective B.3: Productivity of the existing PRODUCTIVITY IMPROVEMENT PROCESS labor force improved Following introductory training on productivity concepts and methodologies, experts in 5 targeted sectors (RMG, food In Quarter 1 of Year 5, WISE continued processing, tourism, textiles, and furniture) worked with working towards institutionalizing its WISE partner companies to assess the company’s labor productivity, develop improvement plans, and monitor Productivity Improvement Program (PIP) by implementation. providing intensive capacity building and Step 1: Describe the baseline, collect data, define the problem technical support to the Textile Consolidation Step 2: Document the current situation Fund (TCF), the Federation of Egyptian Step 3: Set target(s) Industries (FEI), and the Ministry of Social Step 4: Conduct a root cause analysis Step 5: Plan & develop countermeasures Solidarity (MoSS). All details are presented Step 6: Implement the countermeasures below under Activity B.3.6. Step 7: Measure, record, & compare the results to the targets WISE also successfully brought its program of (This completes Phase 1 Implementation.) Step 8: Adjust & standardize the related production process PIP interventions at private sector partner (This completes Phase 2 Implementation.) companies to a close at the beginning of the quarter. During the program, WISE provided its five-day Productivity Enhancement Training to 34 private sector partner companies, building the capacity of 263 production supervisors and managers to implement productivity improvement strategies for the benefit of their companies. Of the 34 partner companies, 24 created PIP taskforces and proceeded with the eight-step, two-phase implementation process (shown in the box to the right). During project Years 3 and 4, 12 of these companies completed full implementation of phases 1 and 2, and reported impressive results, which are summarized below.
• Marib International. 9% increase in total productivity (from 960 to 1,055 acceptable outputs produced by the line) at one of six production lines, with total product defects being reduced by 38% (from 3.9% to 2.4%), in-production defects (fixable defects encountered during the various production stages in the line) being reduced from 0.98% to .06%, and acceptable products fixed after first inspection being raised by 10% (from 90% to just under 100%). WISE also assisted Marib with improving its in-house training for quality control and maintenance.
• Givrex. 52% increase in the production rate PRAISE FOR THE WISE PIP for the packing area at Givrex’s Alexandria In mid-December 2019, WISE received a note of plant, 32.5% increase in average appreciation from Givrex, a former PIP implementation partner. Givrex wrote: productivity for workers, and 5.6% increase “… [we] would like to take the opportunity to thank in total productivity for the plant. you for your support and your patience with us • Jade Apparel. Raised the productivity rate during the implementation of our project. It was really great working with you and the USAID team at one production line at its Borg El Arab … you are really a great team.” facility from an historically low rate of 33% The Alexandria-based food-processing company also to 75% over a five-month period in 2017. stated its desire to partner with USAID again to continue in improving its productivity and HR systems. • Minart Fine Furniture. 95% improvement in work-in-process (WIP)—or a reduction in the average number of days it takes to produce a single final unit—from 21 days to 1 day. The company’s rolled throughput yield (RTY), or the
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probability that a single unit will pass through the entire production process free of defects, also improved by 22.1% (from 72.0% to 94.1%). • SMD Designs. 70% improvement in the company’s printing process from 1,000 units to 1,700 units per eight-hour shift and a 69% improvement in its polishing process from 930 units to 1,570 units per eight-hour shift. This was achieved without increasing the number of employees in an eight-hour shift. The SMD Designs factory operates three eight-hour shifts per day, thus, significantly raising its productivity in these intermediate steps in manufacturing. • Steigenberger Al Dau Hotel. 30.3% cost savings on dishware and glassware from a reduction in broken dishes and glasses. • Steigenberger Aqua Magic Hotel. 36.2% cost savings on dishware and glassware from a reduction in broken dishes and glasses. • Arabia Hotel (Azur Group). 20.0% reduction in delays during the check-in process and a 60.0% reduction in the number of customer complaints about the speed of service throughout the hotel. • Sahinler Apparel. 33.3% increase in overall productivity by decreasing the percentages of rejected in-production pieces from 5% to 2%, pieces requiring repairs from 10% to 5%, machinery downtime from 15% to 1%, and number of worker-hours needed for per-piece production from 20% to 12%. PIP implementation also raised the production rate of the cutting department from 20,000 to 30,000 pieces per day, and increased the number of production lines from 14 to 17 by designing and implementing a new layout for the production area. • Wood and Metal Industries. 43% increase in overall productivity. Two key results were: (1) the measured increases in the output of the wood-surface planing process from 56 pieces to 112 pieces per worker-hour; and (2) the “extras” wood cleaning process from 37 pieces to 50 pieces per worker-hour. The company is now producing 3.3 end-products per worker-hour after PIP implementation, up from 2.3 end-products per worker-hour prior to the program. • Mediterranean Spinning (Meditex). 84% reduction in defects of end-products. • AMMCO Foods. Raised total productivity on its biscuit production line from 3.0 cartons to 3.8 cartons per worker-hour. See Annex D for further details on the PIP interventions. B.3.6 DEVELOP AND IMPLEMENT KNOWLEDGE TRANSFER MECHANISMS WITHIN PARTNER ORGANIZATIONS During Quarter 1 of Year 5, WISE provided in-depth productivity improvement program training designed to build the capacity of the Federation of Egyptian Industries (FEI) and the Textile Consolidation Fund (TCF) to implement the PIP and ensure the sustainability of the WISE interventions after the project ends. The program was also conducted for production supervisors at the MoSS to assist the Ministry with productivity improvement implementation strategies. These capacity building efforts were implemented in accordance with a previously executed MOU with each entity and as part of USAID’s “Journey to Self-Reliance” strategy.
• WISE collaborated with FEI’s Business Development Services Center (BDSC) to conduct a joint five-day Productivity Improvement Training workshop for 19 participants from 10 private sector companies invited by FEI. The workshop was held at FEI’s Alexandria premises from November 17 to 21, 2019.
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• WISE conducted two capacity building training workshops at TCF’s premises in Alexandria for a total of 32 participants. From November 24 to 28, 2019, WISE built the capacity of 16 TCF in-house consultants, and from December 15 to 19, 2019, conducted training for six TCF in- house consultants and 10 participants from four TCF member companies. • WISE conducted productivity improvement capacity building training from January 5 to WISE builds the capacity of Alexandria’s Textile 9, 2020, for 11 members of the MoSS Consolidation Fund to implement the WISE Productive Unit Centers. The program was Productivity Improvement Program with its member companies. Photo: WISE. held at the MoSS Cairo premises. Through these workshops, the FEI employees, TCF consultants, and MoSS unit members participated in capacity building training that will enable them to orient other companies on productivity improvement techniques. The trained FEI employees will manage PIP interventions conducted by productivity consultants including experts used by WISE, and the BDSC will use the WISE-developed PIP resources. TCF’s trained experts will directly assist its member companies in implementing the PIP while WISE provides technical support on an as-needed basis. The private sector participants invited by both FEI and TCF learned about techniques that they can use to improve productivity in their companies. To help them develop master plans for productivity improvement implementation, WISE familiarized the MoSS unit members with the productivity improvement techniques used in the PIP. All of these workshops introduced a range of theories on productivity improvement, such as 5S, Kaizen, Toyota Theory, Work Studies, Work Loading, and Process Control and Optimization. Key concepts in the training include productivity, efficiency, how to measure productivity, and the importance of reporting. (See Annex B for details on WISE training.) As a result of WISE’s technical assistance provided to TCF during a planning meeting on December 29, 2019, TCF established a Productivity Improvement Central Unit. This unit will manage the WISE- trained TCF consultants who will assist private sector companies in productivity improvement.
Objective B.4: Firms better able to recruit, WISE 3R PROGRAM retrain, and retain their staff The 3R Program provides human resources interventions that address skill shortages and exorbitant turnover rates by During Quarter 1 of Year 5, WISE finalized enhancing industrial enterprises’ ability to recruit, retrain, and retain a qualified and loyal workforce. the 3R Program Impact Report, which can be The Program includes: found in Annex D. The Impact Report • Basic HR training for company HR offices. includes results, challenges, and • In-depth analysis of HR policies and practices recommendations for the program. Since benchmarked against international standards. • launching the 3R program, WISE has Identification of gaps and creation of improvement plan. • In-company HR taskforces coordinate 3R interventions in conducted its intensive five-day 3R Human line with improvement plans. Resources Basics Training workshop for 44 private sector companies. Of those 44 companies, 31 completed the implementation of the 3R program. Employee turnover rates improved at 30 of the 31 companies as a direct result of the 3R program. The
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average percentage improvement in turnover rate was 35.8% for the 31 companies. More than half of the companies improved their turnover rates by at least 32%, and three companies achieved improvements of 88%, 87%, and 83% respectively. In August 2019, WISE and the FEI signed an MOU to institutionalize the 3R Program at FEI’s BDSC. As a result of WISE’s capacity building program, FEI’s BDSC will: 1. Market the 3R program to industries throughout Egypt; and 2. Organize and conduct orientation workshops for interested companies on basic HR concepts that are fundamental to the implementation of the 3R program; the WISE-developed 3R toolbox will be distributed to each participating company. The BDSC will also be able to tap into the pool of WISE’s 3R experts to help interested companies in implementing the 3R program. ACTIVITY B.4.2 CREATE A 3R UNIT WITHIN PARTNER ORGANIZATIONS TO LEAD 3R IMPLEMENTATION AND ASSIST PARTNER ORGANIZATIONS TO DEVELOP A FEE-FOR- SERVICE SCHEME TO MAINTAIN SUSTAINABILITY During Quarter 1 of Year 5, WISE conducted three iterations of the 3R Toolbox Workshop in coordination with the FEI. Through these workshops—one held each month during the quarter—a total of 68 participants representing 44 private sector companies learned about basic HR concepts that are fundamental to the implementation of the 3R program and received the WISE 3R toolbox. All training was conducted at FEI’s premises in Cairo and attended by members of the 3R Function at FEI’s BDSC. In alignment with USAID’s “Journey to Self-Reliance” strategy, and as part of WISE’s process of institutionalizing the 3R program at FEI, training on the second day of the third workshop was conducted by a 3R Function member. WISE is building the capacity of 3R Function members who, in the future, will be delivering this program entirely on their own. (See Annex B for details on WISE training.) RESULT B CHALLENGES
• In the current Egyptian economic context, many companies prioritize immediate bottom line benefits over long-term economic gains. While the WISE 3R Program successfully concluded in Year 4 and the PIP was completed this quarter, some companies with a strong interest in WISE 3R or PIP interventions had pulled back from the programs early in the project, preferring to focus on decreasing immediate financial inputs rather than investing (time, energy, or money) to improve their long-term outlook. Such a short-term focus is not uncommon in situations with fluctuating economic conditions. As WISE persisted in implementing the programs and companies learned about the positive impact of the WISE interventions, reluctant companies began changing their perspective. However, this dilemma has made it difficult for WISE to rapidly scale up these programs over the life of the project. • For all Result B programs, the WISE project timeline is now a factor as new institutional partners need to get up to speed and take ownership of the program (3R, PIP, or Ebdaa Rehletak) in a relatively short period of time. At the end of Year 4, WISE secured commitments and is working diligently to build the capacity of the following institutional partners: o TCF to deliver the PIP either in full or partially to its target populations based on sector and/or geography.
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o FEI to institutionalize both the PIP and 3R program at FEI’s Business Development Services Center. o MoSS to secure employment for its beneficiaries through Ebdaa Rehletak. • The 3R Program and PIP have made an impact on the businesses that have worked with these WISE initiatives. However, since the 3R Program and PIP have worked on truncated implementation timelines, any true measurement of the sustained success of these interventions would be difficult without a longer timeframe than the project allows. • The above notwithstanding, Result B programs, particularly Ebdaa Rehletak, continue to face challenges given the nature of staff turnover and transitions in many governmental and quasi- governmental entities. The lack of compensation for added responsibilities related to establishing and maintaining an ERU may also be an obstacle to engaging with key individuals in public entities to champion the program. • Ebdaa Rehletak also faces ongoing challenges from a lack of commitment from both job seekers and private sector companies. Employers have not consistently followed through on their promises of compensation levels and many private sector companies do not want to invest the time required to develop the skills of new employees through Ebdaa Rehletak. Job seekers, when presented with an employment letter or contract that is less than what they were initially promised, often leave the job after a few days or do not work at all. Low salaries, poor or hazardous working conditions associated with certain industries, and lengthy commutes are all factors that have led job seekers to reject job offers or leave after only a short time on the job. While the USAID-approved expansion of target sectors for the job seeker program has opened new sectors to Ebdaa Rehletak, the ERUs have found that these issues exist throughout much of the economy.
RESULT C: ENHANCING THE CAPACITY OF EGYPTIAN STAKEHOLDERS TO IDENTIFY AND ADDRESS BARRIERS TO LABOR MARKET EFFICIENCY Result C is designed to enhance the capacity of Egyptian stakeholders to identify and address barriers to labor market efficiency at local and national levels. This is being done through the creation of entities such as the governorate-level Economic Partnership Council (EPC), and the national-level Enabling Environment Unit (EEU) and Enabling Environment Advisory Group (EEAG).
Objective C.2 Selected organizations are assisted in developing strategies to advocate for reforms related to labor market efficiency (and positive outcomes of implementing these strategies substantiated) During project Years 3 and 4, WISE established the EEU within the Egyptian National Competitiveness Council (ENCC) and assisted in the creation of the EEAG, which consists of influential national associations and entities, to promote labor market efficiency. C.2.4 SUPPORT THE ENABLING ENVIRONMENT UNIT (EEU) TO DEVELOP A LABOR MARKET EFFICIENCY STRATEGY WITH EMPHASIS ON LABOR MARKET EFFICIENCY FOR EGYPT WITH PARTICULAR FOCUS ON SECTORS AND GOVERNORATES IDENTIFIED BY WISE During Quarter 1 of Year 5, the EEU completed the development of the first draft of the advocacy strategy that encompasses the main recommendations from a questionnaire that was completed by
YEAR 5 QUARTER 1 REPORT PAGE 27 USAID/EGYPT WORKFORCE IMPROVEMENT AND SKILL ENHANCEMENT PROJECT participants at the July 9, 2019 EEAG National Conference, “Enabling Business Environment: Towards More Reforms in the Labor Market.” The draft is being reviewed by EEAG members and WISE. The strategy addresses the following issues:
• Advocating for the establishment of a transportation system dedicated to women only, based on a cost benefit analysis. • Conducting a review of legislation affecting women in the labor market based on international best practices and the international treaties to which Egypt is a signatory. • Advocating for a reduction in the cost of licensing for micro and small businesses. • Advocating for a vocational and technical education/training law and, particularly, the governance system and the training fund mechanism. EEU is coordinating with TVET-Egypt as they have completed a draft law to join forces in advocating for the reforms. Objective C.3 Stakeholders at the governorate level are supported in addressing identified challenges to labor market efficiency Objective C.3 encompasses the work of the newly created model EPC. On January 1, 2020, WISE and MoLD executed an extension of their MOU allowing for continued cooperation on the implementation of the EPC activity and Ebdaa Rehletak (Objective B.2). The MOU, which was initiated on May 10, 2018, includes these parameters:
• Establishment of a model EPC in Beni Suef. • Development of an economic growth plan for Beni Suef. • Establishment of an Ebdaa Rehletak Unit in Beni Suef. The EPC is made up of local representatives from the public sector, the private sector, and business associations. Together, these representatives identify and prioritize government actions and interventions that both enable businesses to function better, and can be achieved through collaboration, dialogue, partnership, and action at the local level. A number of significant meetings took place during this quarter between USAID/WISE, MoLD, and the outgoing and incoming Governors of Beni Suef in order to reaffirm commitments to the cooperative efforts and facilitate the MOU extension. USAID Mission Director Meets with the Outgoing Governor of Beni Suef. On November 18, 2019, the USAID Mission Director visited the Governorate of Beni Suef and met with the outgoing Governor and members of the EPC Board and unit. During the meeting, the Governor presented his vision for Beni Suef and the accomplishments to date, including the establishment of the EPC unit in the governorate and the formation of the EPC Board—the first of its kind in Egypt. The Governor expressed his deep appreciation for USAID’s support, noting the WISE-developed economic survey of Beni Suef and economic sector strategies for SMEs/handicrafts, agriculture, tourism, and industry/mining—the sectors identified through the economic survey as the most promising in the governorate. He commended both the EPC unit and Board for their efforts, noting a study developed by the EPC unit that identified priorities for rural development in 20 underprivileged villages in Beni Suef. The Governor then spoke about the October 19-28, 2019, WISE-implemented study tour, praising WISE for the high level of organization and impact of the program content that showcased best practices
YEAR 5 QUARTER 1 REPORT PAGE 28 USAID/EGYPT WORKFORCE IMPROVEMENT AND SKILL ENHANCEMENT PROJECT in economic partnership councils in Hickory, Charlotte, and Catawba County, North Carolina. The key take-aways for him included:
• The contributions of the private sector in the improvement of vocational education to link it with labor market needs. • The environmental measures that start with waste separation at the source. • The private-public partnership initiatives launched to develop local areas. Before closing, the Governor highlighted the informative and interesting site visits, including the community colleges, economic development committees, and private sector partners in local development, such as Siemens, Century Furniture, and Duke Energy (renewable energy), as well as his meetings with the Mayors of Charlotte and Hickory—both of whom he has invited to visit Beni Suef. The Mission Director thanked the Governor for his presentation, and shared her initial apprehensions about a study tour planned for small cities in North Carolina. She said she felt comfortable about the program after learning of the similarities between Beni Suef and Hickory, where both have economies were based on a single economic sector (agriculture in Beni Suef and furniture in Hickory). The Mission Director then asked attendees who had participated in the study tour about best practices that may be replicated in Beni Suef in the near term. Participants highlighted the following:
• Aligning vocational education with labor market needs and providing skilled labor to local industries. • Optimizing the role of EPC Board in Beni Suef, as the private sector plays a key role in economic development. • Enhancing technological development/IT infrastructure and training in Beni Suef, as they are key factors in economic development. (The EPC Board members are coordinating in-company training for vocational students.) • Designing strategies to increase female participation in economic development. The Governor urged USAID to continue supporting Beni Suef, and the Mission Director said that USAID stands ready with potential assistance in the areas noted above. MoLD Introduces USAID to the New Governor of Beni Suef. On January 8, 2020, MoLD introduced USAID and WISE to the new, recently appointed Governor in Beni Suef. The Governor noted that he was briefed by the local EPC unit on progress made to-date under the EPC activity, including the sector strategies that have been developed. Based on these strategy documents and just prior to this meeting, the Governor formally requested the support of the MoLD in starting to implement some of the projects recommended in the sector strategies, particularly those identified in the tourism sector strategy. The Advisor to the Minister of Local Development briefed the Governor on MoLD’s efforts in Upper Egypt, and in Beni Suef in particular, where the poverty rate dropped from 47% to 26%, the highest improvement ratio achieved among all the governorates in Egypt. The Advisor also explained that the USAID WISE project will be developing an overall economic strategy for Beni Suef in line with Egypt’s Sustainable Development Strategy (SDS) 2030. The study will cover short, mid, and long-term goals including performance indicators. It was agreed among the attendees that, once selected and approved to develop the overall strategy, the consultant will initially present his work plan to and obtain approval of the Governor.
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ACTIVITY C.3.2 ESTABLISH EPCS IN SELECTED GOVERNORATES On November 26, 2019, WISE held a debrief meeting for the participants in the October 2019 EPC Study Tour. The meeting included 10 of the 17 participants. The EPC Board and Beni Suef Local Unit made a joint presentation on what they learned during the study tour and the best practices they plan to implement in Beni Suef. The MoLD Cairo Central Unit made a similar, separate presentation. Below are the key points shared by the participants. As initial steps, the EPC Board and Local Unit plan to disseminate lessons learned to executive committees in Beni Suef. They also intend to maintain the relationships built through the study tour, by twinning and cooperating with entities they visited in North Carolina, starting with those in Hickory. Based on the best practices they learned through the study tour, the EPC plans to:
• Establish realistic KPIs for the local development strategy and a comprehensive central database to support information-gathering. • Identify avenues to raise financial resources for the governorate. • Partner with civil society and advocate for decentralization policies to promote local development. • Improve infrastructure and the environment in order to attract investors (including improved waste management). • Encourage initiatives that improve the livelihoods, quality of life, and trust vis-à-vis government institutions among citizens. • Increase the supply of trained, skilled labor by: o Investing in human resources and soft skills capacity building. o Focusing on empowering women, particularly in rural areas. o Assessing labor market needs and linking vocational education to the identified needs (assign one class in each technical school to train on specific skills required by local industry). o Promoting programs that help improve the image of technical education. o Advocating for entrepreneurship/innovation training in vocational schools and the establishment of innovation clubs. o Soliciting the commitment of industry to employ vocational education students. o Maximizing the use of the Ebdaa Rehletak program (Activity B.2). The EPC Central Unit at MoLD agreed with the above approach and objectives. MoLD has decided to replicate the EPC model in two additional governorates in Upper Egypt. This will be undertaken in coordination with the Ministry of International Cooperation (MIC) and the donor community. In addition, MoLD and MIC are coordinating an invitation to the mayors of both Charlotte and Hickory, North Carolina, to visit Beni Suef. C.3.3 SUPPORT EPCS IN IDENTIFYING, CATALOGING, DISCUSSING, AND ADDRESSING LOCAL CHALLENGES, CAPACITY BUILDING AND TECHNICAL ASSISTANCE (GOVERNORATE LEVEL) AND IDENTIFYING NATIONAL-LEVEL POLICY ISSUES TO BE REFERRED TO THE EEU As the transition between Governors in Beni Suef and the MOU renewal process took place in December 2019 and January 2020, WISE continued to monitor progress and provide technical support to the EPC unit and Board as they implemented ongoing activities. Feedback was collected by the
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consultant developing the agriculture sector strategy from both the Beni Suef local and Cairo central EPC units and the Beni Suef Governorate Agricultural Department. Once the feedback is incorporated, the document will be sent to the EPC Board sub-committee for agriculture for review. After review of the draft of the SME/handicrafts document, WISE and MoLD deemed it to be insufficient. To properly complete the strategy, WISE and MoLD agreed to assign the task to the consultant who successfully completed the industry and mining sector strategy. At the end of this quarter, WISE obtained MoLD’s consent to engage an expert, earlier identified by WISE, for the development of the General Economic Strategy for Beni Suef. The candidate’s contracting process started at the close of the period and she is expected to begin her assignment before the end of February. As soon as he assumed his position, the new Governor of Beni Suef met frequently with the Beni Suef local unit members to learn about the achievements made with WISE on the EPC activity and support activities. Initial actions taken by the new Governor to maintain the pace of activities have included approving replacements for the EPC Board members who had moved on to new positions outside the Governorate. In addition, at the request of the new Governor, the local unit in Beni Suef prepared a summary of the recently completed tourism sector strategy for use by the Prime Minister’s office. RESULT C CHALLENGES • The objectives of MoLD and/or Beni Suef governorate may not always be aligned with the project objectives. In addition, WISE’s interventions in the governorate first have to be approved by MoLD. These issues often cause delays in implementation as WISE repeatedly must justify its planned interventions to officials who are not readily available due to their consistently very busy schedules. To ease these challenges, WISE is taking advantage of the presence of consultants at MoLD and EPC local unit members in the governorate to keep officials aware of on-going activities. • Changes in counterpart leadership continue to impact the project timeframe. Recent changes in Beni Suef Governorate affected the positions of the Governor and Secretary General as well as several members of the EPC Board. WISE worked with MoLD to speed up the process of introducing the project activities and team to the new Governor and Secretary General. WISE has also been urging MoLD to call for a meeting of the EPC Board with its new members to update them on WISE’s progress to-date and the responsibilities of the EPC Board in facilitating implementation. The introduction of the project to the Governor occurred in January 2020, while the meeting of the EPC board is scheduled for February 2020.
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III. CROSS-CUTTING ACTIVITIES
Building sustainability and supporting sustainable transformation are primary goals of all WISE activities during Year 5 and they continue to be important cross-cutting elements for the project this quarter. Ensuring that WISE activities support gender integration remains a priority across all of the result areas. Additionally, WISE continues to address environmental impact in its broadest sense. Sustainability and Sustainable Transformation WISE activities promote sustainable transformation through the development of new structures (such as the SUTEs, LUTEs, EEU, and EPC), and capacity building for the Egyptians who bring life to these structures. Egyptian organizations and companies, as well as myriad Government of Egypt counterparts across a variety of ministries, are partners in WISE activities from the planning and strategy phases through implementation. These actors are critical players in ensuring that WISE’s interventions are directed towards the “Journey to Self-Reliance.” The private sector is particularly important because it is invested in long term, tangible economic growth across Egypt. The private sector also has the potential to provide stable employment for youth coming out of Egypt’s technical schools. At the same time, WISE has been fortunate to work with Government of Egypt officials who are very committed to improving technical education and supporting local economic development throughout the country. During Quarter 1 of Year 5, WISE made good progress in building the sustainability of its Result B programs, in accordance with the MOUs signed with FEI, TCF, and MoSS during Year 4. These cooperative efforts will institutionalize key aspects of WISE’s work under Result B and improve the skills and productivity of workers, reduce workforce turnover, and secure employment for job seekers. WISE conducted in-depth Productivity Improvement Program capacity building training for FEI, TCF, and MoSS this period, which has enabled these organizations to orient private sector companies on productivity improvement techniques. The trained FEI employees are now able to manage PIP interventions conducted by productivity consultants, including those used by WISE, while TCF’s trained experts can now provide direct assistance in PIP implementation to its member companies. For MoSS, WISE trained members of its Productive Unit Centers so that they can build the productivity improvement techniques utilized in the PIP into their master plans for productivity improvement implementation programs. To support long-term sustainability for the 3R program, WISE conducted a series of 3R Toolbox Workshops. The goal of these workshops was to build the capacity of FEI to conduct training for the private sector on the HR concepts that are fundamental to the implementation of the program. By the end of the quarter, the FEI 3R Function members who participated in the training were jointly conducting these workshops alongside WISE. In the near future, they will be delivering this program entirely on their own. For the Ebdaa Rehletak program, WISE built the capacity of Ebdaa Rehletak multipliers at both the MoSS and MoLD. They are now able to train other MoSS or MoLD units on the program, as well as train private sector companies on the mentorship skills that are key elements of the Ebdaa Rehletak program. Work is underway with both MoSS and MoLD to develop their strategic plans for establishing Ebdaa Rehletak Central Units within their organizations. WISE Result C partners, ENCC and MoLD, are making steady progress in fostering an improved enabling environment for a market-driven workforce development system that better serves employers
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and employees in Egypt. As the new Governor of Beni Suef assumed his position, the MoLD’s EPC central and local units continued their efforts to finalize four of the sectoral economic strategies for Beni Suef—agriculture, industry and mining, SME/handicrafts, and tourism. The new Governor has requested MoLD support in starting the implementation of projects recommended in the sector strategies. He also shared a condensed version of the tourism sector strategy with the Prime Minister’s office. The LUTEs and SUTEs have progressively assumed more ownership of the UTE model. In line with the “Journey to Self-Reliance,” the LUTEs continued cascading components of the UTE model to new schools, while also strengthening the programs in their own governorates. For example, the Gharbiya LUTE and Tanta University signed an MOU through which teachers will receive training and related professional development from the university. At the same time, the SUTEs continue to increase the number of activities, interventions, and events they design, organize, and implement for the benefit of students, teachers, and the surrounding communities—the 60 SUTEs implemented more than 25 activities and events in Quarter 1 of Year 5, far surpassing the Year 4 quarterly average of 11 activities or events. The SUTEs have also begun employing new strategies that optimize resources and create deeper cooperation between the schools, such as collaboration of the entire group of SUTEs in a specific Governorate to organize activity or event. Additional examples during this reporting period of WISE partners taking the initiative to continue WISE activities beyond the life of the project include:
• The Academy for Scientific Research and Technology (ASRT) proposal to extend cooperation for the Fanni Mobtaker Competition; ASRT has pledged future financial support and has begun eliciting the support of new private sector partners. • Alcazar Energy’s continued support for the New and Renewable Energy Program through infrastructure improvement and development at Benban Secondary School and the continued technical enhancement training of renewal energy teachers and students from both Benban Secondary School and El Ramady Qebly Technical Secondary School. Gender Integration The WISE emphasis on gender integration has led to a heightened awareness of gender equality issues among students, teachers, school administrators, and private sector representatives. Since project inception, more than 5,200 women and men have participated in 182 separate training programs that included the WISE module on gender equality and women’s empowerment. These groups are now better able to identify and address various types of harassment, and actively encourage collaboration and mutual respect between men and women. WISE’s support for entrepreneurship and innovation in Egypt’s technical education system has been particularly beneficial to female students. The Innovation Clubs and Fab Labs provide safe spaces where budding entrepreneurs and innovators are encouraged to work together and share ideas in an atmosphere of mutual respect. While female students represent 46.4% of the overall student body in the 60 WISE- supported schools in academic year 2019/20, they comprise 48.4% of those students participating in entrepreneurship/innovation classes. The same holds true for WISE-developed entrepreneurship and innovation competitions. In the most recent WISE competition, Fanni Mobtaker 2019, females made up 60% of the student participants.
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In addition, the WISE-developed Peer Helping Program has proven to be an excellent vehicle for both students and teachers to be more aware of gender equality issues and to better recognize and address various types of harassment. Environmental Protection WISE ensures the use of safe environmental practices in all of its activities and is committed to creating sustainable programs that do not have a negative impact on the environment. To date, WISE activities can all be categorized as having no significant adverse impact on SUTE OSH Departments at Ismailia’s Abo Atwa Technical School and Eng. the environment. Ebrahim Ahmed Osman Technical School provide fire extinguisher training to students. Photo: WISE. Occupational safety and health (OSH) awareness and the implementation of measures to address OSH in technical schools are now an integral part of the UTE model. At the SUTE level, all 60 WISE-supported schools finalized their individualized OSH plans, established their OSH committees, and completed hazard reports during Year 4. Evacuation plans have been developed and executed, fire extinguisher training and health awareness seminars are being conducted, and OSH awareness materials have been designed and disseminated. Equipped with the WISE-developed OSH Handbook, the SUTEs and LUTEs are conducting a full range of activities to improve safety and promote health in schools and among students. They are increasingly reaching beyond their schools to spread awareness and train others on OSH practices, as well as expand their own knowledge about safety and health. Examples from Quarter 1 of Year 5 that reflect the impact of the WISE OSH-related activities and assistance are:
• The OSH Departments in the three Beni Suef SUTEs collaborated to execute evacuation drills at four non-WISE schools—Technical School for Girls, Ahnasia Decorative School, Ahnasia Technical School, and Ahnasia Industrial School. • OSH Department members from the five WISE-supported schools in Fayoum Governorate collaborated with the Fayoum University Faculty of Nursing to conduct first aid training for students. The five schools are: Secondary Technical Hotel School Demo; Fayoum Industrial El Hadkah School; Tamia Technical Secondary School; Hawara El Makatta Advanced Technical Industrial School; and Nasser Industrial Secondary School. • OSH Department members at Aswan’s Mohamed Saleh Harb Advanced Technical School and the Egyptian Chemical Company (Kima) collaborated to conduct safety training for students at the school. • 30 teachers from WISE-supported schools in Gharbiya participated in OSH training conducted at Tanta University’s Faculty of Engineering. • OSH taskforce members from Ismailia’s Abo Atwa Technical School requested and received specialized fire extinguisher training from the Abo Atwa fire station.
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Project Management WISE reporting remains on schedule and activities and deliverables are monitored against the approved work plan. WISE continually assesses its staffing needs against planned activities, and adjusts as appropriate to accomplish the activities included in its work plans. As the LUTEs and SUTEs take on greater responsibility for implementation of the UTE model, WISE has adjusted its field office staffing. At the close of Quarter 1 of Year 5, WISE had a total of 53 full- and part-time staff located in Cairo and the 11 governorates where WISE is working. See Annex F for the WISE Staff Start/End Dates list.
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IV. ANNEXES
[See separate volume.]
Annex A: SUTE Employment and In-Company Training Secured Annex B: WISE Training Annex C: SUTE/LUTE Initiatives Annex D: WISE Private Sector Partner Companies, 3R Program Impact Report, and PIP Intervention Status Annex E: WISE Monitoring and Reporting Framework Annex F: WISE Staff Start/End Dates Annex G: WISE Quarter 1 Year 5 Procurement Exceeding $500 Annex H: WISE Expenditures for Quarter 1 of Year 5
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