Egyptian Tourism School Aims to Stem Irregular Migration

GENEVA, Switzerland, April 24, 2012/African Press Organization (APO)/ -- IOM, the Italian government and the Egyptian Ministry of Education have joined forces to renovate and upgrade Al Fayoum Advanced Technical School for Hotel Management and Tourism Services to provide vocational training and jobs for young people in the rural Egyptian governorate south of Cairo.

The School, which formally inaugurates its new facilities today after a two-year renovation funded by the Italian Ministry of Labour and Social Policies, is partnering with the Italian Tourism School Elena Cornaro of Jesolo-Venice to provide Egyptian students with high quality education and training in hotel management and tourism services to meet national and international labour market requirements.

Al Fayoum, a rural governorate 120 kms south of Cairo, suffers from high levels of emigration due to lack of jobs. Many young people consequently opt for irregular migration to Europe, often risking their lives on the journey and experiencing abuse and exploitation in destination countries.

The School aims to provide them with the knowledge and skills they will need to find work both in Egypt and abroad through legal channels. Its new training system and curriculum are in line with the EU-recognized European Qualifications Framework.

Today's formal inauguration of the School's facilities was attended by representatives of the Egyptian Government, local authorities, the Italian Government, IOM, UN agencies, the European Union and other development partners.