University Centers for Career Development

The International Labour Organization has partnered with the American University in Cairo to enhance the capacity of already running University Centers for Career Development (UCCDs), increase the inclusiveness of UCCD services for students with disabilities and support the collection, analysis and dissemination of quantitative and qualitative labour market information relevant for career guidance and counselling.

Project background:

The American University in Cairo (AUC), in cooperation with the United States Agency for International Development (USAID), run the University Centers for Career Development (UCCD) project, which aims to establish 20 sustainable UCCDs in 12 Egyptian public universities in Upper Egypt, Delta and Greater Cairo over a four-year duration. The International Labour Organization has partnered with AUC to enhance the capacity of already running UCCDs, increase the inclusiveness of UCCD services for students with disabilities and support the collection, analysis and dissemination of quantitative and qualitative labour market information relevant for career guidance and counselling.

Geographical area of implementation:

Egypt: the Public Universities in Cairo,Giza, Minya, Beni Suef, Sadat, Zagazig, Mansoura, Sohag, Alexandria, Aswan, Menoufia and Damietta.

Objectives and expected outcomes:

The project’s overall objective will contribute in strengthen the capacity of 20 UCCDs in 12 public universities in Egypt. The project’s specific outcomes are:

  1. Building capacity of UCCD staff on collecting, analysing and disseminating labour market information.
  2. Supporting the regular conduct of university-level tracer studies, enterprise skills surveys and roundtables with employers to obtain quantitative and qualitative information about labour market insertion of graduates, satisfaction with graduates’ skills, workforce skill needs and recruitment needs.
  3. Enhancing the inclusiveness of UCCD services for students with disabilities.

Approaches for sustainable development:

The project will mainstream three approaches for sustainable development throughout all activities:
  • Social economy
  • Gender equality
  • Community-based approaches for inclusion (Persons with disabilities)

Implementing partners:

  • The American University in Cairo (AUC)
  • The United States Agency for International Development (USAID)

National & Local Counterparts:

  • Ministry of Higher Education (MoHE)
  • Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MoFA)
  • Ministry of Investment & International Cooperation (MoIIC)
  • Ministry of Manpower (MoM)
  • Ministry of Trade and Industry (MoTI)
  • Ministry of Social Solidarity (MoSS)
  • Central Agency for Public Mobilization and Statistics (CAPMAS)
  • Medium, Small and Micro Enterprise Development Agency (MSMEDA)
  • Project’s Governorates
  • Public Universities in the governorates
  • Investors Associations in the governorates
  • NGOs

Target groups:

  • UCCD staff
  • Ministry of Higher Education's Labour Market Observatory Staff
  • Academic staff
  • University students
  • Employers in selected governorates

For further information, please contact:

University Centers of Career Development project
ILO Cairo
Project Office: 14 Marashly St., Zamalek, Cairo- Egypt
Tel. + 202 - 27370280/1
Fax. +202 – 27370283