Employability Portal Catalyzing employability skills A YouthSpark initiative that provides youth with exclusive access, via internet and mobile phone, to courses to develop their professional skills and boost employment. A platform with a job search function, youth mentoring and social and professional networking. A product made in MEA which will roll out in at least in 15 countries this year in conjunction with Ministries of Youth, Labor, donor organizations and lead NGOs. Five steps to become employed: 1. Plan your career. Career counseling, job market info and stats 2. Get trained. Mentor matching, IT training, entrepreneurship, CV writing, soft & language skills. 3. Find a job. Online and mobile job matching. 4. Entrepreneurs. Startup training, connection platform with entrepreneurs to share ideas and experiences. 5. Get engaged. Community-based networking platform for users to share ideas and volunteer opportunities. The Employability Portal Workforce development. A full ecosystem to support workforce development across the Middle East and Africa for job research and professional skill enhancement – Online, on the ground and via a mobile function. Personalized experience. A full-inclusive experience which provides career planning resources for visitors to identify their career path and the training gap compared to the requirements. It offers extensive training options for different skills customized to specific target groups and jobs, directing visitors to online and physical locations where they can identify the jobs available, and helping them prepare their applications. Build Your Business curriculum. Within the portal, the entrepreneur section includes BYB, a MEA Citizenship program for micro and small entrepreneurs to help them promote skills training and create new businesses through cutting-edge tools. BYB will help them leverage productivity and technology tools to grow their own company. A localized tool. Implemented by local partners in each country, the portal will be available in three languages: English, French and Arabic. A partnership of best in class. A platform that draws on best practice training content and approaches developed our principal partner Silatech, as well as Education For Employment, World Bank and Middle East Partnership Initiative. MasrWorks. Under http://masrworks.com/, the employability portal was already successfully piloted in Egypt last year. Broad outreach. The regional portal aspires to empower over 7 million youths across the Middle East and Africa. Be the spark of change. Visit: www.microsoft.com/YouthSpark