Education and Skills for Employment - Alexandria 2025
A conference jointly organized by the MedNC Network, the Union for the Mediterranean, and the HOMERe Programme.
le 05 January 2026
Socio-professional integration of young people remains a major challenge for the sustainable development of Mediterranean countries. Faced with persistent barriers to labour market access and rising inactivity, the Union for the Mediterranean (UfM) and its partners are stepping up initiatives to strengthen youth employability, whether for graduates or young people in situations of disengagement. It was within this context that our annual conference was held in Alexandria.
Organised in the 2025 Mediterranean Capital of Culture and Dialogue, this two-day event brought together young people and key stakeholders involved in youth integration and employment, including professional integration networks, businesses, employers and civil society organisations from across the Mediterranean region. The aim was to address shared challenges and explore concrete solutions to strengthen the socio-professional integration of young people, particularly those facing the greatest barriers, such as NEET youth (not in employment, education or training).
23rd MedNC Network General Assembly, a moment dedicated to members
On 2 December, the first day of the event, reserved exclusively for members of the MedNC and HOMERe networks, was dedicated to internal work and to the preparation of the strategic orientations and the 2026 action plan. Hosted at the Von Gerber House, headquarters of the Anna Lindh Foundation, the meeting of two Mediterranean networks working for the socio-professional integration of young people set an inspiring and promising tone for the two days.
On the MedNC side, the network’s 23rd General Assembly took place throughout the morning. This key moment enabled members to reconnect and reflect on the highlights of 2025 in support of members, young people, and the development of projects and advocacy actions. The official presentation of the newly elected Steering Committee members to the network demonstrated the strengthening of MedNC’s governance. Discussions highlighted the consolidation of initiatives such as the #MedNGreen toolkit, the upcoming youth exchange in Morocco, as well as broader strategic orientations aimed at deepening the network’s governance and increasing its impact on youth employability across the Mediterranean.
Les membres du MedNC memvers and the coordination team during the 23rd General Assembly at the Von Gerber House, Alexandria 2025.
An afternoon dedicated to Egyptian local community expertise
The afternoon was devoted to field visits, offering members the opportunity to discover the work of two local Egyptian organisations: IceAlex and the Sawaed Foundation. These visits aimed to explore innovative local approaches to youth training and socio-professional integration, foster the exchange of good practices among professionals, and create synergies between Mediterranean actors.
On the Sawaed Foundation side, the visit enabled direct dialogue with Egyptian professionals developing community-based and concrete responses to employment and skills challenges. Rooted in the outskirts of Alexandria, the initiative highlights the importance of local anchoring, trust-based relationships and long-term commitment in designing relevant training pathways and supporting young people’s access to employment.
On the IceAlex side, the focus is on empowering young people through innovation, collaboration and entrepreneurship. By supporting start-ups, SMEs and social enterprises, and by developing innovation hubs, IceAlex strengthens entrepreneurial ecosystems. The discussions also provided space for collective reflection on the obstacles to entrepreneurship in the Mediterranean region.
Visit of IceAlex by MedNC Network members in Alexandria.
Building futures of the Mediterranean Youth
On 3 December, our conference “Education and Skills for Employment”, held at the Bibliotheca Alexandrina, brought together 120 participants from NGOs, civil society organisations, academia, the private sector and public administrations. Discussions focused on the shared challenges faced by young people and on the exchange of good practices aimed at improving employability.
Although the MedNC Network and HOMERe – two UfM-labelled projects – target different groups (NEETs and graduates respectively), their promoters face similar obstacles, notably the need to develop skills for future employment and to strengthen cooperation between education institutions and employers, particularly within the private sector.
The opening session featured contributions from Joan Borrell (UfM), Josep Ferré (ALF), Helena Winiarska (DG MENA, European Commission), Astrid Desjobert (IECD/MedNC) and Lamia Ferguène (HOMERe France). Joan Borrell emphasized that the conference aimed to promote the exchange of ideas and best practices to inform public policy, as the future of employment is intrinsically linked to the prospects of the region.
Open ceremony of the conference, December 3rd, 2025 at the Bibliotheca Alexandrina.
« Enhancing youth mobility in the Mediterranean region »
The first panel highlighted the significant impact of international internship programs on employability and emphasized the importance of collaboration between academia and the private sector—not only to create opportunities but also to design curricula that align with labour market needs. However, numerous administrative barriers continue to hinder mobility.
Two keynote speeches introduced the second major theme: Enhancing youth employability through skills development. Speakers underlined the crucial need to equip young people with relevant skills to meet the evolving demands of the labour market, advocating for stronger partnerships between educational institutions, private sector actors, and policymakers. Roland Sarton (ILO) noted that while NEETs are increasingly attracting policy attention, the main challenge remains converting existing opportunities into sustainable local jobs. Anis Saïdi (Education Outcomes Fund) presented innovative financing models, particularly Results-Based Financing (RBF), as a way to strengthen partnerships and prioritize measurable outcomes. The RBF approach encourages NGOs and private actors by linking payments to achieved results, reducing government risks, fostering stakeholder trust, and granting implementing partners the flexibility needed to innovate and adapt to changing market demands.
« Skills for the jobs of future »
The second panel emphasized the need to anticipate future skills requirements and ensure universal access to reliable data. The advent of AI brings uncertainty: while jobs as a whole may not disappear, certain specific tasks could be automated, augmented, or reduced. To address these challenges, it is essential to establish a framework for continuous skills development, enabling individuals to update their competencies throughout their careers. Examples of initiatives promoting employment include EFE Egypt, the Schneider Electric Foundation Egypt, and Semeurs d’Avenir in Lebanon.
The conference also benefited from the valuable and inspiring contributions of youth representatives, notably young ambassadors from MedNYouth (the Mediterranean council of the MedNC Network), as well as other inspiring young people from across the Mediterranean, including participants in MENA hackathons, HOMERe alumni, and ambassadors from the Safir project and the Mediterranean Students Summit. Visit the “Amplifying Youth and Network Voices” section to learn more!
Session "Youth Voices : MedNYouth" with Kenzy Darwich (Safir project), Khalifa Gorbuj (Rafiq E2C / MednYouth), and Fatma Boudabbous (E2C Marseille/MedNYouth)