The Institut Européen de Coopération et de Développement (IECD) commissioned Common Ground Solutions to assess and model the school to work transition model under the project Supporting Girls' Participation in Non Traditional Sectors, in collaboration with UN Women Egypt and funded by the Korea International Cooperation Agency (KOICA) through the Women's Economic Empowerment in Egypt programme.
The terms of reference asked CGS to assess school to work transition units and the institutional capacity of technical schools and the Ministries of Labour and Education, to analyze female enrollment, employment and barriers in non traditional specializations such as electricity and mechanics, and to propose an enhanced, gender responsive transition model.
The desk review analyzed five years of CAPMAS, Labour Force Survey and Economic Research Forum data on technical education enrollment and graduate employment. Fieldwork covered six technical schools in Cairo and Alexandria. Using purposive sampling, the team conducted 43 in depth and key informant interviews with students, parents, teachers, principals, transition unit staff, ministry officials and employers, and eight focus group discussions with students and with job seekers at an Alexandria employment fair.
Interviews and discussions were transcribed verbatim in Arabic and coded in Dedoose through qualitative content analysis, combining predefined and emerging categories. Participants gave informed consent, and audio recordings were destroyed after transcription.
CGS delivered an assessment report covering the technical education outlook, female enrollment in non traditional specializations, the role and effectiveness of the transition units and employment challenges, with recommendations for a gender responsive transition model.
