Public employment services (PES) in Egypt were not widely accessible to refugees, so the project partnered with the Alexandria Business Association (ABA) to help employers identify skills needs and profile jobseekers to facilitate job matching. By partnering with an association of employers, PROSPECTS was able to make the most of its members as potential employers of Syrian refugees and Egyptian host community members and strengthen its employment service function by building capacity and incorporating a digital skills profiling  tool into its operations. The skills-profiling tool was incorporated into the association’s Technical and Vocational Education and Training (TVET) career office, which helped identify the skills in supply.

In Ethiopia, support was provided under the Public Employment Service Strategy of the Ministry of Labour and Skills to establish and strengthen Employment Service Facilitation Centres (ESFCs). This was done in collaboration with the Bureau of Labour and Social Affairs, targeting the establishment of an ESFC in the main refugee-hosting area of Jigjiga, where PES were absent. In addition, staff from the bureau participated in online training on managing PES, as part of PROSPECTS’ work to upgrade ESFCs. The programme also launched consultations with representatives from the Bureau of Youth and Sport to support ESFCs that would also meet the expectations of young job-seekers.

PROSPECTS' work in Iraq included supporting the drafting of the National Employment Policy, which served as a consensus-building exercise for national partners and decision-makers to develop an integrated employment policy framework. A four-day training workshop was convened with Ministry of Labour and Social Affairs (MOLSA) staff to share international best practices in employment service delivery and prioritize areas of work. It also helped MOLSA develop and upgrade its online job-matching platform to accept refugee IDs, integrating it with the social security database.

 In Jordan, public employment services (PES) did not have the mandate to serve foreigners, which meant refugees could not access them. Consequently, PROSPECTS piloted services through non-governmental partners, using a sector-specific approach, focusing on agriculture, which was the main employer of refugees in the country. The programme trained agriculture cooperatives to provide career guidance and job matching services for agriculture workers. Read more about Shadia and Sahar’s journey on how decent work has changed their lives in Jordan. The PROSPECTS team supported mobile work permit units and collaborated with the Ministry of Education to develop a mobile application for young people. The programme also helped re-open employment service centres in the Zaatari and Azraq refugee camps, providing a source of information and support for Syrian refugee job seekers who intended to stay in Jordan, as well as those who were considering their return to Syria.

PROSPECTS in Kenya helped the National Employment Authority expand into Garissa and Turkana Counties, providing capacity-building and infrastructure support. It conducted an assessment of  public employment services and active labour market policies in Kenya and produced a tailored training manual targeting three levels of National Employment Authority (NEA) staff to support them to manage PES centres, adapt tools to reflect changing labour-market needs, build partnerships and strengthen their coordination function. An Integrated Management System (NEAUNS) was set up to help modernize NEA functions, with 60 public employment service officers trained to use it. PROSPECTS also  helped integrate employment services into the Biashara Centre located within the Kakuma refugee camp, in collaboration with UNHCR and the IFC. A model for rural employment services was developed with ten local partners, including refugee-led organizations (RLOs). Eighty-seven local representatives were trained as employment service outreach officers, helping fill in for NEA’s absence in rural areas. 

The collapse of the government in Lebanon had rendered public employment service non-operational, but even prior to the collapse, the services were only accessible for nationals. To fill this gap, PROSPECT partnered with UNHCR to integrate employment services and rights at work into community development centres (CDC) in three main refugee hosting areas. Incorporating more employment-driven programming enabled PROSPECTS to support young people beyond meeting emergency and basic needs. PROSPECTS made use of SkillLab to profile young people and develop appropriate career pathways and referrals into training, business development services and volunteer opportunities. Skills profiling in CDCs also helped PROSPECTS map Syrian refugees skills to labour market opportunities available inside Syria. 

PROSPECTS in Uganda piloted rural employment services in the Isingiro and Arua districts, making the most of existing job centres and constructing new ones. Three multi-purpose centres were set up in the Rhino and Impevi refugee settlements, introducing employment services run by refugee-led organizations. At a national level, PROSPECTS  established District Employment Service Forums, which convened government, employer, worker, and youth representatives to translate experience and lessons learned from the pilots into more efficient public employment services.