Youth Transition from Education to Work in the Mediterranean Region : The ETF Experience with Partner Countries <Special Issue : Youth, Education, and Work>

Countries in the Arab Mediterranean region (AMC) face several daunting challenges. Changes in the nature of work and employment have weakened prospects for secure, long-term jobs, just as the ‘youth bulge' caused by rapid demographic transition means that almost 30% of the population in these countries is between the ages of 15 and 30. Governments have been challenged to respond to these problems. Compiling information from a wide range of sources, this paper assesses issues and policy responses necessary to improve school-to-work transitions in AMC countries, analyzing complex inter-relationships among school, work, economic development, and policy. Economic growth, in particular job creation, has not kept pace with educational expansion. At the same time, school graduates frequently lack the skills that employers need. Thus, while more children and youth are completing higher levels of schooling, the education they receive is unlikely, for many, to lead to improved well-being. Recommendations are specified around four broad policy areas of improvement, and one of inclusion: 1) improving the level of workforce education and qualifications; 2) improving the content (and evaluating the impact) of government programmes aimed at easing the transition from school to work; 3) improving the framework for transition support, while equipping youth with skills that better match labour market needs; and 4) including youth voices in planning and implementation of the programmes.