Three women seated at a table laugh to the camera.

ILO PROSPECTS Egypt

From job search to opportunity: Supporting young people’s pathways to employment

Through the ILO Job Search Club global methodology and continued engagement with employers, the Employment Pathways programme of ILO PROSPECTS in Egypt is supporting young people to take a more active approach to finding work and connect with employment opportunities.

1 August 2026

Content also available in: العربية

Cairo, Egypt (ILO News)– For 23-year-old Egyptian job seeker Rania Hegazy, looking for work had become an uncertain and often frustrating experience. Online applications frequently went unanswered, while some job postings turned out to be fraudulent.

“I had applied for numerous jobs online, but all too often, I either received no response at all or discovered that the job posting was a scam. It always felt like I was just wasting my time,” Rania said. “There were even occasions when I showed up at a location only to find out it was fraudulent.”

Her experience at a recent Job Fair organized as a follow-up activity to the Job Search Clubs (JSCs) under ILO PROSPECTS in Egypt, was different. “I felt reassured knowing it was organized by reputable organizations, which meant I wouldn’t be taken advantage of,” she said.

“I had the chance to speak with human resources representatives from various firms, and for the first time, I felt like I was getting genuine feedback.”
Rania Hegazy, University graduate and job seeker

The conversations also helped Rania identify opportunities that better matched her profile and understand how to strengthen her job applications. “They guided me in identifying which opportunities suited me best and offered valuable advice on improving my curriculum vitae (CV),” she said. “We also learned effective job-search strategies and how to spot legitimate job openings versus the fake ones.”

Four young people stand in front of a media wall featuring stakeholders’ logos and the title “Level up your skills”, smiling at the camera. — Rania Hegazy (second from the left), alongside other recent graduates and young jobseekers, takes part in the ILO PROSPECTS job fair, which brings together 14 private sector companies as part of the Employment Pathways programme, Egypt, July 2026.

Extending connections with employers

Rania was one of 200 young people who attended the Job Fair after participating in Job Search Clubs (JSCs), an ILO approach designed to support young people who face difficulties in their job-search process.

Building on the employer outreach participants had already practised through the clubs, the fair brought young job seekers together with representatives from 14 private sector companies, providing an additional opportunity to expand their contacts with employers, discuss available positions and explore employment opportunities.

Alongside the Job Fair, JSC graduates and new participants took part in refresher sessions covering CV and cover letter writing, interview preparation, personal branding, business development and the use of artificial intelligence for career development. An open discussion with human resources managers and recruitment specialists gave participants an opportunity to ask questions about the labour market, better understand employers’ expectations and explore the challenges and opportunities facing young job seekers.

For Rania, the experience offered something that had often been missing from her online job search: reliable information, direct contact with employers and feedback to help her make more informed choices.

A man seated at a table amongst other seated youth looks into the camera and smiles. — Instructors provide valuable guidance and feedback to JSC graduates and new participants as part of refresher sessions preparing them for the job market, Egypt, 07/2026.

Building pathways to employment

The Job Fair was organized under the Employment Pathways programme, implemented in collaboration with Terre des hommes (Tdh) within the framework of ILO PROSPECTS in Egypt.

Employment Pathways Programme supports young people through two pathways: wage employment and self-employment. The wage employment pathway helps participants strengthen their job-search skills and engage with potential employers, while the self-employment pathway supports those interested in starting and developing their own businesses.

Job Search Clubs form part of the wage employment pathway. Over two weeks of intensive daily activities in small groups, participants work with trained facilitators and peers while actively searching for employment. The clubs encourages job seekers to dedicate sustained time and effort to their search and become increasingly independent in navigating the labour market.

The approach goes beyond responding to advertised vacancies. Participants learn how to build networks, identify job leads from different sources and explore employment opportunities that may not be publicly advertised. They also practise approaching employers directly, while sharing contacts, leads and experiences with other club members.

The recent Job Fair built on this process by creating another space for participants to engage with employers, broaden their networks and explore available opportunities.

For Rania, this meant moving beyond relying solely on online advertisements. She could speak directly with employers, ask questions and make more informed decisions about the opportunities she pursued.

Her experience reflects the principle at the heart of the Job Search Club approach: finding work is an active process– one that involves identifying opportunities, building connections and engaging directly with the labour market.

Young men and women are seated indoors, attentively participating in a workshop. — In search of job opportunities, Linda Nagy (seated right) participates alongside fellow jobseekers in interactive workshops designed to support their transition from education to employment, Egypt, July 2026.

Job Search Clubs in Egypt: A decade of supporting young job seekers

The Job Search Club methodology has been implemented in Egypt in collaboration with the Ministry of Youth and Sports for more than a decade.

In 2025, the ILO and the Ministry marked ten years of Job Search Clubs in the country, with more than 8,500 young people reached through nearly 350 clubs across 14 governorates. These figures are also reflected in ILO's published account of the ten-year milestone.

Under PROSPECTS, JSC has also been used to support young people from refugee and host communities as they navigate challenges in accessing the labour market.

ILO PROSPECTS is part of the global PROSPECTS Partnership, supported by the Kingdom of the Netherlands, bringing together the International Labour Organization (ILO), International Finance Corporation (IFC), UN Refugee Agency (UNHCR), United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) and the World Bank.