ABA-VTEC & SkillLab: using skill data to develop apprenticeships in Egypt
The "SkillLab room", decorated by the ABA-VTEC employees and where the students use SkillLab's application
Alexandria Business association (ABA) is an NGO that was founded in 1992 whose main objective is to serve 350 business in the region of Alexandria. Their Vocational Training and Education Center (VTEC) was built in 2016, aiming to be the best source or provider for employment services and for qualifying the technical and vocational laborers.
Since 2019, ABA’s VTEC developed an unique business model, merging vocational training and employment through apprenticeships and on the job training. SkillLab has partnered with the ILO in 2020, who appointed ABA to be one of the implementing organizations.
(With SkillLab) it was created a common language where job seekers, employers and recruiters could speak. It eliminated human biases, and cultural and language barriers
ABA's main goal with the app was to help the business with designing the best apprenticeships for final users. This took place based on their skill profiles outcomes from the app, while also helping ABA to develop the best in-house training bootcamps that would be able to cater to basic skills needed in the same aforementioned apprenticeships.
After months of implementation, both organizations consider the partnership a success, as over 400 final users already have been through the program. Both final users and ABA-VTEC’s staff found the app very useful, especially regarding its main outcomes: a standardized CV and different occupation matches for the almost three thousands occupations in the app.
Without SkillLab, I would not have thought of applying for accounting opportunities. Moreover, I thought all of my previously gained skills were not important but now I know for sure that they can turn into careers. SkillLab really helped me widen my perspective
According to Esraa, one of ABA-VTEC's case workers, another main outcome was the higher efficiency rate of suggested trainings, attesting that thanks to the SkillLab's drop-out rates went from 40% to 10-20%.
What’s different about SkillLab is that it's very comprehensive, it identifies personal traits, characteristics and technical skills. It is very detailed and so it helps with more accurate extraction of knowledge
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