A single job fair focused on ICT and ICT-enabled industries helped 320 jobseekers to find work.

Photo credit: USAID Tunisia ICT Competitiveness Project

To help Tunisia address high rates of unemployment, particularly among women and university-educated professionals, USAID provides assistance to two sectors that stand to become catalysts for accelerated economic growth and job creation: the country’s information and communications technology (ICT) sector, and ICT-enabled industries, such as textiles, specialty foods, automotive and other manufacturing.

USAID implements a range of activities designed to build and strengthen connections between employers and jobseekers in these sectors. These activities include technical assistance to businesses to help link them with suppliers and customers, organization of professional training and job fairs, and facilitation of policy reform to encourage business expansion and hiring.

Our impact in the ICT sector includes:

• Created and helped fill more than 900 jobs through the provision of training to aspiring professionals that fills skills gaps identified by businesses.
• Through technical assistance, USAID has helped more than 50 ICT and ICT-enabled businesses improve operational efficiency and strengthened their links to local and international markets.  USAID helped an automotive parts factory introduce 'lean manufacturing' to reduce the numbers of minutes and steps for the production process, raising production efficiency.  For a garments company, USAID helped develop the company's in-house training for new workers.  USAID also helped an ICT firm with strategic sales efforts by identifying and pursuing sales prospects, and helping them close deals.
• Launched university career centers at six college campuses across the country: Gafsa (southwest), Jendouba (northwest), Kairouan and Zaghouan (northeast), Sousse (eastern coast), and Tunis.