Can Technology be the Path Towards Solving the Unemployment Crisis?

From the Education for Employment Web

I try to avoid spending my time on The Huffington Post, as I find myself watching baby animals yawn or people dancing in far-off countries when I should be researching new trends for Connected by 25. However, I stumbled across this fascinating series of articles that are produced by The Huffington Post and Education For Employment (EFE), a non-profit focused on creating job opportunities for unemployed youth in the Middle East and North Africa (MENA). Once upon a time, when he worked at the Edna McConnell Clark Foundation, Jamie McAuliffe, President of EFE, participated in YTFG.

As described on The Huffington Post, "Conflict and upheaval have dominated the news on MENA in 2014, and some see a region spiraling into chaos. But beneath the alarm bells, some digital pioneers are doubling down on their bets that the region's next generation could have a brighter future tied to technology and skills."

The series includes:

• In the Arab World, Social Media Makes a Societal Impact by Jonathan Labin, Head of Middle East, Africa, and Pakistan for Facebook
• Rolling Up Their Sleeves: Online, Arab Women Master Their Own Fate by Loulou Khazen Baz, Founder and CEO of Nabbesh.com
• Africa Online: Egypt's Digital Future and the Global Economy by Adel Danish, Chairman and CEO of the Smart Villages Company
• This, Also, Is the Middle East by Christopher M. Schroeder, Entrepreneur and Investor
• Jobs: What the Middle East Needs by Rabea Ataya, Founding CEO of Bayt.com

The ideas that circulate in these articles is that through the strategic use of technology, countries can strengthen their economy and fuel entrepreneurism. Young people can be entrepreneurs and/or designers of new applications, and, of course, with more jobs, can position themselves competitively with strong technological skills.

As I read these articles, I wondered to what degree we have prepared the programmatic infrastructure that serves our young people. Are the alternative schools, re-engagement centers, youth programs, and employment/training programs adequately tied into the technological field? Do we have the right staff, technology, and business advisors? It’s hard when a field has been so under-capitalized for so long to make major investments. However, there are many open education resources available on coding that we can be taking advantage of right now. Perhaps we could ask young people themselves to help design programs that can be a bridge to jobs in the tech field.

If you run a program that is helping young people build the skills and networks to start new businesses or open doors into tech jobs, we’d love to know about it.