The second edition of its Jahez Pan-Arab Employability Forum aimed to boost the employability skills of Arab youth and raise awareness of the emerging and forward-looking roles within today’s job market.

 

The forum noted that an estimated 127 million young Arabs are expected to join the Mena workforce by 2040, and as many as 17% of all jobs were at risk of disappearing by 2030 because of digitalisation and other Fourth Industrial Revolution trends.

 

Injaz Bahrain joined its parent organisation Injaz Al-Arab, a member of Junior Achievement (JA) Worldwide, the world’s largest non-profit business education organisation, as it hosted the forum from May 17 to 19 2022, exposing today’s youth to the industries of tomorrow and preparing them to contribute to the economic development of their nations and regions.

 

Live-streamed

The forum was live-streamed through Injaz Al-Arab’s Facebook and YouTube channels, as well as across Injaz’s 13 Mena chapters channels, and hosted prominent key figures from the region and the international community; Fadi Ghandour, Executive Chairman of Wamda Group, Co-Founder of Aramex, Nader Qaimari, Chief Executive Officer of Edcetera, and Allisoon Monroe, CEO and Founder of Language Learning Market, and many dedicated sessions and panels from regional strategic partners.

 

The event additionally witnessed the participation of three leaders from Bahrain’s business community, who spoke on each day of the conference, Faisal Al Asfoor from YK AlMoayyed & Sons speaking about “People and Culture”; Mohammed Ghassan from Bapco speaking about “Green Economy”; Maryam Al Mousawi from GPIC speaking about “Care Economy”.

 

Remarking on Jahez 2.0 and its success, Shaikha Hessa Bint Khalifa Al Khalifa, Chairperson of Injaz Bahrain, said: “A core tenet of our operations at Injaz Bahrain and the wider Injaz Al Arab organisation, is to improve the capabilities of, upskill, and engage with today’s youth and students as we provide them with the platform, network, mentoring, and opportunities set to propel their professional careers forward. Jahez provides the optimal platform to engage with mentors and peers within a learning environment addressing the trends and tools needed to illuminate their paths forward.”

 

Job market growth

Commenting on the event, Akef Alaqrabawi, CEO, Injaz Al-Arab, said: “Today’s job market continues to grow at a rapid pace across the region, yet according to the Arab Youth Survey, the Middle East & North Africa currently experience nearly double the global average of youth unemployment at 25%. Through Jahez we have created a unique educational initiative that will assist and shape youth in the region, providing them with the opportunity to explore a wide range of employment opportunities and equip them with the knowledge and skills to navigate their futures.”

 

He added: “Last year’s forum reached over 38,000 youth across the region, with this year’s expansion aiming to enlarge the footprint of our impact through dedicated sessions from across our Mena chapters. Much appreciation to our partners and network for their support, we look forward to continuing to grow and expand our reach to drive today’s youth as they become tomorrow’s leaders.”

 

Attendees explored current research, expanding on industries relevance in the context of the 21st century, with lecturers and panellists sharing diverse industrial perspectives that aimed to impact students’ future courses and career choices.-- TradeArabia News Service