Egypt advances employer-led skills governance in tourism sector

Cairo, Egypt (ILO News) – The European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD), the Egyptian Tourism Federation (ETF) and the International Labour Organization (ILO) convened national stakeholders in Cairo to advance the operationalization of Egypt's Sector Skills Council for Tourism (SSCT), which is an employer-led platform designed to align skills development with labour market demand in one of the country's most employment-intensive sectors: tourism.

The workshop titled “Shaping the future of tourism skills in Egypt: Lessons from establishing the Egyptian Sector Skills Council in Tourism”, was held within the framework of the ILO’s regional European Union-funded THAMM Plus programme “Towards a Holistic Approach to Labour Migration Governance and Labour Mobility in North Africa”.

It marked a key milestone in strengthening skills governance in the tourism sector, bringing together representatives from the government, employers, training providers, development partners and the tourism industry to review the practical results that have been achieved and identify the next steps needed to translate the Council's mandate into lasting impact in the tourism sector.

Unified efforts to support Egypt's tourism sector

Over the past two years, the SSCT and ETF have laid important institutional foundations for a more demand-driven skills system. These include establishing a clear mandate, governance arrangements, an operational roadmap and nationally relevant occupational standards for priority tourism occupations. Developed through close engagement with the private sector, these outputs provide a practical basis for improving the relevance of training, supporting certification and strengthening the employability of workers and jobseekers in the tourism sector.

Tourism remains a strategic pillar of Egypt’s economy, generating employment at scale and offering significant opportunities for economic growth. As a labour-intensive and service-driven sector, its competitiveness depends on the availability of a skilled, adaptable and productive workforce. By bringing employers, public authorities and education and training providers around a common platform, the SSCT helps ensure that workforce development responds to real industry needs and contributes to a more resilient tourism sector.

Participants discussed how the occupational standards developed through the Council can be endorsed, formalized and integrated into training and certification systems. They also examined ways to strengthen coordination between employers, training providers and public institutions, and to reinforce national ownership of the Council as a sustainable mechanism for sector-led skills development.

The discussions highlighted that the value of the SSCT lies not only in its establishment, but in its ability to generate practical results for the sector: clearer skills priorities, stronger alignment between training provision and labour market demand, more relevant occupational standards and a stronger voice for employers in shaping workforce development policies and programmes.

Opening remarks were delivered by Eric Oechslin, Director of the ILO Cairo Office; Reem El Saady, Deputy Head of EBRD; Dr. Shimaa Mahgoub, Head of Labour Market Policies Unit at the Ministry of Planning and Economic Development; and Hala El Khatib, Executive Director of the Egyptian Tourism Federation. Speakers underlined the importance of structured social dialogue, effective public-private cooperation and strong employer engagement in building responsive skills systems that support decent work, productivity and inclusive growth.

For Egypt’s tourism sector, the next phase is about moving from institutional foundations to operationalization, sustainability and impact.

Eric Oechslin, Director of the ILO Cairo Office

“Sector Skills Councils provide a structured mechanism for employers, government and training institutions to jointly anticipate skills needs, strengthen occupational standards, improve training quality and support transitions from learning to earning. For Egypt’s tourism sector, the next phase is about moving from institutional foundations to operationalization, sustainability and impact; ensuring that skills development supports workforce readiness, enterprise competitiveness, productivity and pathways to decent work,” said Eric Oechslin, Director of the ILO Cairo Office.

Reem El Saady, Deputy Head of EBRD added, “Over the past years, the EBRD has been proud to partner with the Egyptian Tourism Federation and Ministry of Tourism and Antiquities to establish the Sector Skills Council for Tourism. This Council was designed as a platform for employer-led dialogue – a place where industry, government, and training providers come together to ensure that skills development reflects the real needs of the sector. With a clear institutional mandate, we developed 14 new National Occupational Skills Standards for priority tourism occupations to better meet the needs of the evolving Egyptian tourism market.”

We developed 14 new National Occupational Skills Standards for priority tourism occupations to better meet the needs of the evolving Egyptian tourism market.

Reem El Saady, Deputy Head of EBRD

Social dialogue and knowledge sharing

The workshop also included a keynote address by Dr Soha Bahgat, Counsel to the Minister of Tourism at the Ministry of Tourism and Antiquities, on tourism, talent and workforce development in Egypt. Eliana Janineh, Tourism Sector Specialist and Expert for the EBRD, presented the SSCT's journey from concept to practice, highlighting milestones achieved and the foundation established to support its operationalization and long-term sustainability.

A roundtable discussion then brought together employers, public institutions, training providers and SSCT representatives to reflect on achievements, challenges and lessons learned. The exchange further confirmed the need to maintain strong collaboration across institutions and to ensure that skills development remains firmly linked to labour market demand, quality employment and sector competitiveness.

Laura Schmid, ILO Cairo Office’s Skills and Employability Specialist, highlighted the importance of translating the Council’s institutional foundations into practical mechanisms that can support sector-wide impact, including through occupational standards, skills anticipation and stronger linkages between training provision and labour market demand.

Looking ahead at sustainable impact

Building on the foundation established to date, Schmid and Farah El Batrawi, ILO THAMM Plus National Coordinator, presented the next phase of ILO support under THAMM Plus. The support will focus on advancing the operationalization of the SSCT, strengthening skills anticipation systems, integrating occupational standards into training and certification systems, and mainstreaming labour mobility considerations within workforce planning. It will also reinforce the Council’s institutional sustainability and governance, drawing on the ILO’s experience in supporting sector skills bodies and skills governance systems across different country contexts.

The workshop concluded with a shared commitment to move from institutional set-up to systemic impact, ensuring that the SSCT becomes a sustainable platform for improving skills relevance, enhancing employability and supporting the long-term competitiveness of Egypt’s tourism sector.