• English
  • Français
  • العربية
Follow us
Union for the Mediterranean – UfMUnion for the Mediterranean – UfMUnion for the Mediterranean – UfMUnion for the Mediterranean – UfM     Mediterranean Day
  • Who we are
    • Who we are

      The Union for the Mediterranean is an intergovernmental institution bringing together the European Union Member States and 16 countries from the Southern and Eastern shores of the Mediterranean to promote dialogue and cooperation.

      Overview   

    • Who we are

      • Member States
      • Meet the team
      • Partners
      • History
    • Key documents

      UfM Annual Report 2021 Regional Integration
  • What we do
    • Notre action

      The UfM seeks to enhance regional cooperation, dialogue and the implementation of concrete projects and initiatives with tangible impact on our citizens to address three strategic objectives: human development, stability and integration.

      Overview   

    • Inclusive Development

      • Economic Development and Employment
      • Higher Education & Research
      • Social & Civil Affairs

      Sustainable development

      • Water, Environment and Blue Economy
      • Transport & Urban Development
      • Energy & Climate Action
    • How we work

      • Political Framework
      • Regional Dialogue Platforms
      • Projects and Initiatives
  • Work with us
    • The UfM Secretariat is the operational platform of the Union for the Mediterranean. The staff of the UfM is made of more than 17 nationalities working in a multicultural environment that fosters cooperation and intercultural communication and exchange.

    • Work with us

      • Vacancies
      • Secondments
      • Internships
      • Procurement
      • Roster of experts
  • Info center
    • Info center

      Find our latest press releases, press invitations, visual identity, key institutional documents, photos and other relevant information


      Download the UfM Visual Identity Guidelines and Logos (zip file)   

    • Info center

      • Media corner
      • News
      • Agenda
      • Publications and key documents
      • Human Stories of the Mediterranean
    • UfM in the Media

      6 March 2023 – Alghad.com – المؤتمر الدولي لمصادر المياه بعمان: تحديد للفرص القابلة للتنفيذ
      View article
      27 February 2023 – Huffington Post – “Nel Mediterraneo è sfida per l’energia, 250 progetti per portarla da Sud a Nord”
      View article
      18 February 2023 – The Jordan Times – Regional Transport Action Plan to propel shift towards sustainability — UfM official
      View article
      See more
  • Contact

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.

Download agenda (PDF)

Visit photo gallery

Related OECD  link

Share this:

Latest news

Boosting private sector engagement and stewardship in the Mediterranean blue economy
28 / 03 / 2023
On the road to the UfM Ministerial Conference on Higher Education (Fez, November 2023): UfM Higher Education Stakeholders’ Meeting
23 / 03 / 2023
See more

Agenda

UfM Conference on Regional Integration and Value Chain Transition
27 / 04 / 2023
2023 Annual Meeting of the UfM Energy Platforms
03 / 05 / 2023
See more

Who we are

  • Member States
  • Meet the team
  • Partners
  • History

What we do

  • Economic Development & Employment
  • Higher Education & Research
  • Social & Civil Affairs
  • Water, Environment and Blue Economy
  • Transport & Urban Development
  • Energy & Climate Action

How we work

  • Political Framework
  • Regional Dialogue Platforms
  • Projects and Initiatives

Work with us

  • Vacancies
  • Secondments
  • Internships
  • Procurement
  • Roster of experts

Info centre

  • Media corner
  • News
  • Agenda
  • Publications and key documents
  • Human Stories of the Mediterranean
  • Photo gallery
  • Video gallery
Co-financé par l'Union européenne  -  Cookie Privacy  |  Privacy Privacy  |  Legal notice
  • Who we are
    • Member States
    • Meet the team
    • Partners
    • History
  • What we do
    • Economic Development and Employment
    • Higher Education & Research
    • Social & Civil Affairs
    • Water, Environment and Blue Economy
    • Transport & Urban Development
    • Energy & Climate Action
  • How we work
    • Political Framework
    • Regional Dialogue Platforms
    • Projects and Initiatives
  • Work with us
    • Vacancies
    • Secondments
    • Internships
    • Procurement
    • Roster of experts
  • Info centre
    • Media center
    • News
    • Agenda
    • Publications and key documents
  • Contact
  • Social media
    • Facebook
    • Twitter
    • Youtube
    • Linkedin
    • Flickr
  • English
  • Français
  • العربية
  • English
  • Français
  • العربية
Union for the Mediterranean – UfM
/* ----------------------------------------- */ /* Content Template: Loop item in Megamenu – Latest Ufm in the news - start */ /* ----------------------------------------- */ /* ----------------------------------------- */ /* Content Template: Loop item in Megamenu – Latest Ufm in the news - end */ /* ----------------------------------------- */ /* ----------------------------------------- */ /* Content Template: Content template for Posts - start */ /* ----------------------------------------- */ /* ----------------------------------------- */ /* Content Template: Content template for Posts - end */ /* ----------------------------------------- */ /* ----------------------------------------- */ /* Content Template: Loop item in NewsRoom – Related News (Sidebar) - start */ /* ----------------------------------------- */ /* ----------------------------------------- */ /* Content Template: Loop item in NewsRoom – Related News (Sidebar) - end */ /* ----------------------------------------- */

 

We are using cookies to give you the best experience on our website.

You can find out more about which cookies we are using or switch them off in settings.


3rd Party Cookies

Powered by  GDPR Cookie Compliance
Cookies Overview

This website uses cookies so that we can provide you with the best user experience possible. Cookie information is stored in your browser and performs functions such as recognising you when you return to our website and helping our team to understand which sections of the website you find most interesting and useful.

Read more

3rd Party Cookies

This website uses Google Analytics to collect anonymous information such as the number of visitors to the site, and the most popular pages.

Keeping this cookie enabled helps us to improve our website.

Please enable Strictly Necessary Cookies first so that we can save your preferences!