International Development Grant
Aswan Skills Development Program
Project Number: CA-3-D001112001
Status: Closed
Country/Region:
Maximum Contribution: $10,859,231.00
Start Date: April 24, 2015
End Date: June 30, 2022
Duration: 7.2 years
Project Description
The project seeks to improve the livelihoods of at least 6 000 young women and men (approximately 40% women) in Aswan Governorate Egypt by strengthening the quality and range of technical and vocational training professional training entrepreneurship support programs and employment services available to young women and men in Aswan. Through support to local training institutions government agencies and Aswan University the project improves the provision of demand-driven skills training provides programs for entrepreneurs and supports job seekers through career counselling and job-matching. The project also builds more effective linkages between the labour market and training institutions to reduce the mismatch between training programs and the job market. Project activities include: (1) refurbishing and equipping training facilities in Aswan; (2) building the institutional and technical capacities of education centres to provide demand-driven technical vocational employability and entrepreneurial skills training; (3) providing workers with on-the-job training career management support professional development programs and management skills training; (4) supporting community-led enterprises young entrepreneurs and small and medium enterprises with a focus on the agri-business value-chain; (5) establishing consultation mechanisms to improve the link between training institutions and market demand and improve the design financing performance management and quality control of job training programs; and (6) conducting research to better understand the constraints facing female job seekers.
Expected Results
The expected results for this project include: (1) improved livelihoods of young women and men in Aswan; (2) improved prospects for employment and employability for young women and men; (3) improved employment opportunities for young women and men; and (4) improved performance of labour market stakeholders in employment and employability mechanisms for young women and men.
Progress & Results Achieved
Results achieved as of the end of the project (October 2022) include: (1) renovated and equipped six Productivity & Vocational Training Department (TVET ) facilities to improve the delivery of seven TVET gender-sensitive programs reaching 1 106 young Egyptians of whom 467 were women; (2) trained 354 nursing students including 294 women and 166 faculty members including 142 women at the University of Aswan on emerging health topics such as COVID-19 prevention; (3) strengthened the capacity of the Continuing Education Centres to deliver employability professional and management trainings to 3 319 students of whom 1 906 were women in the Aswan and Kom Ombo districts; (4) promoted youth entrepreneurship through the delivery of training to 2 736 youths of whom 1 370 were women using the International Labour Organization’s (ILO) entrepreneurship curriculum; (5) 721 youths including 357 women participated in five Business Plan Competitions that resulted in 86 young entrepreneurs including 57 women being awarded access to financial support and business development and mentorship services to support them in starting their businesses. Also held information sessions to link female business owners with gender-sensitive financial products and loans designed to support their specific needs; (6) 1 357 enterprises received business development services and 18 workshops attended by financial institutions to build connections between the formal financial sector and new entrepreneurs reaching a total of 1 068 participants of whom 636 were women; (7) established one Career Development Centre in Aswan which provided career counselling and job placement services and access to an online job portal to 3 205 people of whom 1 962 were women. This fostered networking and professional exchanges between new entrepreneurs and successful women leaders; (8) organized four job fairs and 10 employer workshops to connect youth with potential employers and discuss ways to improve
Key Information
Executing Agency:
Aga Khan Foundation Canada
Reporting Organization:
Global Affairs Canada
Program:
EGM Europe Arctic Middle East and Magh
Last Modified:
September 19, 2025
Development Classifications
DAC Sector:
Aid Type: Project-type interventions
Collaboration: Bilateral
Finance Type: Aid grant excluding debt reorganisation
Selection Mechanism:
Unsolicited Proposal