Conference: Local employment, skills and entrepreneurship strategies in the Mediterranean – Developing pathways for the future
Barcelona – The Mediterranean region is undertaking major social, political and economic changes placing unprecedented pressure on governments and international organisations in the region to urgently provide solutions for a better future ahead. The conclusions from the MENA-OECD High Level Consultation held at the OECD in Paris on 16th May 2011 identified skills for employment in SMEs and skills for entrepreneurship as key themes for the region to tackle the large unemployment situation, particularly for the youth.
Economic objectives can no longer be reached without delivering services that foster job-rich communities particularly addressing the large youth unemployment, the development of SMEs and the integration of women in socio-economic development. Targeted solutions tailored to the characteristics of each country are needed as well as a better horizontal coordination of government departments and vertical alignment of different levels of government – the local level is a key area where national strategies and services are deployed.
Within this framework, The Union for the Mediterranean (UfM) and the OECD Local Economic and Employment Development (LEED) Programme, in collaboration with the City of Barcelona, are co-organising an expert meeting to discuss pathways for employment, skills and entrepreneurship strategies in the Mediterranean region. The expert meeting aims to bring together Ministries of Labour, Ministries of Education and practitioners to discuss local skills development and its link to local job creation and sustainable growth, especially in the rich SMEs pool in the region.
Countries in the region will have the opportunity to join forces to discuss skills availability, skills upgrading, skills mismatch, skills for new areas of employment growth and the integration of skills and employment plans for solid employment strategies at the local level. The meeting will discuss operational pathways to address the large youth unemployment as well as skills development for women integration in local labour markets and developing the best environment for SMEs to thrive.
The event is organised as an experts’ discussion aiming to define operational pathways for skills for employment, local job creation and SMEs growth in the Mediterranean. Participants in the meeting will discuss strategies and actions for skills for employment and entrepreneurship in Mediterranean countries drawing from the experiences and the best practices of the OECD and countries in the region.
Themes of the Conference:
Theme I: The 3 ‘Es’ for fostering jobs for youth: Education, Employment, Entrepreneurship
As countries around the world emerge from the financial crisis with slow employment recovery, Mediterranean countries such as Turkey, Egypt, Tunisia, Morocco, Jordan, Lebanon, Israel, Palestine, and Algeria are mobilizing energies to address the large youth unemployment on a high-road to job creation. How can Education, Employment and Entrepreneurship be combined and fostered for youth integration in the labour market? Is there enough autonomy, capacity in the education and training sector? What examples of initiatives exist in the Mediterranean and OECD countries?
Presentations
Skills, Employment and Entrepreneurship Strategies for the Mediterranean Region
Cristina Martinez-Fernandez, OECD/CFE/LEED
Youth Migration Intentions after January 25
Reham Hussain, International Organization for Migration (IOM), Regional Office for the Middle East – Egypt
The Danish experience of integrating youth in the labour market
Jan Hendeliowitz, Director, Employment Region Greater Copenhagen & Zealand, The Danish National Labour Market Authority and Chair of the OECD LEED Committee
Barcelona Employment Strategy for Young People
Lorena Ventura, Director of Employment, Barcelona Activa
The Social Economy in the Mediterranean: impact on job creation for young people
Carlos Lozano, Coordinator, Euro-mediterranean Network of Social Economy (ESMED) / Spanish Business Confederation of Social Economy (CEPES)
Theme II: Innovative approaches to foster entrepreneurship and SMEs
The Mediterranean region is rich in entrepreneurs and small firm formation. Innovative approaches to skills and talent development can foster a high-growth business environment with higher potential for job creation particularly in SMEs. What experiences exist for fostering entrepreneurship in the Mediterranean? How can entrepreneurship skills policies best contribute to sustainable employment creation? To which areas of business growth?
Presentations
Preparing Mediterranean Entrepreneurs
Joseph Mifsud, Professor, President of University EMUNI
Dominique Chesneau, Professor, Euro-Mediterranean Institute of Risk Science (IEMSR)
Tatiana Krylova, Head of Division Investment & Business UNCTAD (Empretec Programme)
Entrepreneurship Development in SMEs in Turkey
Ayşegül Çelik, KOSGEB, Turkey
Fostering Youth Entrepreneurship
Rashad Bibars, Senior Director, BDC Business Development Centre, Jordan
Innovative approach to foster entrepreneurship and SMEs
Michele Dau, Deputy Secretary General CNEL; Vice-chair, LEED Directing Committee; Chairman of the OECD Trento Centre
Theme III: Skills development to empower Mediterranean women
Integrating women in the labour market and empowering them to reach their full potential through entrepreneurship will bring significant talent and innovation to business activity in the Mediterranean region. Skills programs and initiatives from the region can be contrasted with those from OECD countries. In what areas do you find a concentration of women’s business talent? What are the barriers for skills development participation? What are the challenges for career development and entrepreneurship?
Presentations
Women’s employability in the Southern and Eastern Mediterranean
Outi Kärkkinen, Southern and Eastern Mediterranean Unit, Geographical Operations Department of the European Training Fundation (ETF)
Palestinian female labor market participation
Hilda Awwad, President, Ramallah Club Business and Professional Women (BPW)
Theme IV: From theory to practice – Tools for developing rich-job employment and entrepreneurship lands in the Mediterranean
The design of skills and employment strategies and programmes should respond to local conditions and challenges, and should involve a wide range of stakeholders from both the public and private sectors to optimize the relevance and impact of such strategies. How can we forge better partnerships for skills for employment and entrepreneurship with such stakeholders? What are the obstacles to a joined-up approach? How can investments and talent from the Mediterranean Diaspora be better utilized? What operational pathways can be proposed?
Presentations
Diasporas: gateways for investment, entrepreneurship and innovation in the Mediterranean
Samir Abdelkrim, ANIMA Investment Network, Marseille
Local employment, skills and entrepreneurship in the Mediterranean
Rym Ayadi, Head, Financial Institutions, Mediterranean Prospects, Center for European Policy Studies (CEPS)
Barcelona strategy to foster Entrepreneurship and Business growth
Anna Molero, Managing Director, Barcelona Activa
For further information please contact Ms. Giulia Omodeo Zorini at the Union for the Mediterranean Secretariat or Ms. Cristina Martinez at the OECD Secretariat.
