Cairo – Ain Shams University celebrated the inauguration of two new Career Development Centers funded by the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) in coordination with the American University in Cairo (AUC). These Centers aim to build the capacity of career guidance professionals at two faculties at Aim Shams University and to develop a generation of career educated graduates who possess the skills to meet the demands of today’s job market.

“AUC is proud to partner with Ain Shams University to bring their smart, talented, and ambitious students the kinds of skills that permit them to enter the labor market with confidence and find suitable jobs,” said AUC President Dr. Lisa Anderson. “This is a benefit not only for the individual students, but for their families, their employers, and the Egyptian society as a whole.  We are grateful for the support and funding of USAID for this project and for the enthusiasm of our partners at Ain Shams University.”

USAID is funding the establishment of Career Development Centers in Egypt in response to employers’ concerns that today’s graduates do not have the required skills for the job market. The project’s key goal is to avail career guidance and employability skills to public university students to bridge the gap between education and employment needs.  To date, more than 1,000 students at Ain Shams have completed employability skills training and are participating in English language courses and technical and business development tracks.

The U.S. Government promotes a globally competitive, educated, innovative human resources-based economy in Egypt.  USAID activities have led to new or better full-time employment for over 40,000 people since 2012 and short-term jobs for another 20,000 laborers. A generation of career-educated graduates who possess the right skills for today’s job market will help bridge the current gap between education and employment needs. ​