Career guidance in Egypt : releasing potential, opening up opportunities

Abstract

Countries the world over have increasingly come to realise that their future prosperity lies in their ability to develop the potential of their people. In the Arab states, this challenge is particularly important since the great majority of the population is young. This is a major advantage in a situation where the world’s most advanced economies are ageing societies. However, this advantage can only be exploited if the knowledge and skills base of the youthful generation is developed, and if the latent talents of the new generation are identified, awakened, and released. And yet, in Egypt, as in most Arab societies, education and training systems often provide hostile environments for the blossoming of human potential. Despite significant reform efforts, young people quickly get caught in education and training tracks that are not compatible with their abilities, inclinations or aspirations. Destinations are determined not by choice, but by examination results and parental diktat. Educational and training institutions are chosen because of proximity to home, not because they fit in an overall career plan. Pathways through education and training remain inflexible, with students encountering great difficulties in shifting from one curricular diet to another, more suitable and digestible one. As a result, many end up in courses that they have not chosen, and looking for jobs that they may not really want or be suitable for—or that even exist in the prevailing structure of employment opportunities offered by the labour market. Thousands find little in education or training that inspires or motivates them to outdo themselves, and to aspire to achieve. Thousands more embark on higher education routes which lead nowhere in employment terms, creating frustrations for individuals and the economy alike. Supply fails to match demand, creating skills shortages in sunrise labour market sectors, and bottlenecks in sunset ones.