MEDA Maroc's 100 Hours to Success program provides Moroccan youth with 100 hours of training in basic life skills, entrepreneurship skills and financial management skills, with the aim of improving young peoples' chances to either enter wage employment or start their own business. The program helps to fill gaps between skills gained in school and the demands of the labour market. The program aims to provide youth with a stronger foundation on which to make the transition from school to work or to establish their own businesses, in a country where youth unemployment rates are fairly high and wh
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MEDA Maroc's 100 Hours to Success program provides Moroccan youth with 100 hours of training in basic life skills, entrepreneurship skills and financial management skills, with the aim of improving young peoples' chances to either enter wage employment or start their own business. The program helps to fill gaps between skills gained in school and the demands of the labour market. The program aims to provide youth with a stronger foundation on which to make the transition from school to work or to establish their own businesses, in a country where youth unemployment rates are fairly high and where the effort to secure one's first job can take up to two years.
The goal of this evaluative study is to assess the net gains that accrue to beneficiaries and whether participants have demonstrably improved outcomes in terms of employment and self-employment. As such, the study will seek to quantify differences between participants and a comparable group of non-participants in regard to employment and entrepreneurship activity following the program, including not only rates of activity but duration of job search (and/or business start-up), wages and income, and various aspects of job quality. The study also analysed the potential impact of the program on employability, including issues of self-efficacy, confidence, perception of abilities in regard to various soft skills, and attainment of more tangible skills related to language and computer usage. Finally, the analysis investigated potential improvements in savings behaviour and the ability of beneficiaries to manage finances, whether at the personal or business level. In analysing each of the above issues, [the authors] are mindful of potential differential outcomes in regard to age, gender, educational attainment, familial income and urban/rural residence.
Excerpts from publication.
Organised by the International Labour Organization in partnership with Silatech, Abdul Latif Jameel Poverty Action Lab and the Arab Urban Development Institute, the symposium, held on 6-8 March 2014 in Doha, brought together policy makers and practitioners with academics and researchers to present and discuss the evidence base for 'what works' in increasing the employment and productivity of youth. Discussants shared recent findings of impact evaluations from the Middle East and North Africa region and other developing regions. Participants were also introduced to evidence from systematic and literature reviews which are important for evidence based policy creation. This report was one of the background documents to the symposium.
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