ManpowerGroup Reaffirms Commitment to Promoting Entrepreneurship and Employability Among Youth In the Middle East and North Africa

Companies Demand Work-Ready Skills From Tomorrow's Workforce

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Jun 19, 2012, 08:53 ET

MILWAUKEE, June 19, 2012 /PRNewswire/ -- ManpowerGroup, the world leader in innovative workforce solutions, will serve as a trusted advisor on developing work-ready competencies in individuals through an official alliance with INJAZ al-Arab, a Junior Achievement Worldwide member which works with corporate and government authorities in the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) in transforming youth into business leaders.

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According to a Memorandum of Understanding signed at the recent World Economic Forum on the Middle East, North Africa and Eurasia 2012, ManpowerGroup will advise INJAZ al-Arab on entrepreneurship training for Arab youth to be provided via an online portal and also help create a think tank that will identify policy and future training designed to upskill youth as entrepreneurs. E-learning that leverages ManpowerGroup's expertise on skills development will give more youth access to the competencies training needed to secure work or create new businesses, which in part help create the jobs needed in this region. And as a social network, the online portal will connect youth with each other, mentors and potential sources of capital – to combat youth exclusion in the Arab world.

"Youth unemployment and underemployment are creating an underclass of unskilled, unprepared youth," said David Arkless, ManpowerGroup President of Corporate and Government Affairs. "Entrepreneurial training does more than just mobilize future potential business owners. It builds leadership and networking skills that can be applied across the business world – enabling young people to more effectively launch and sustain careers."

Not all youth exposed to the training will incubate companies. But all youth need to be work-ready to compete in today's increasingly competitive Human Age economy. This training platform will also improve academic motivation and an understanding of how individuals drive business success.

"Aligning ourselves with a global leader like ManpowerGroup is a tremendous milestone in the quest to promote youth entrepreneurship in the Arab world," said Soraya Salti, INJAZ al-Arab Regional Director and Junior Achievement Senior Vice President, MENA. "Our combined efforts will help empower a new generation of Arab youth to redefine the Arab world of today and shape the Arab world of tomorrow."

According to the International Labour Organization, the youth unemployment rate in North Africa is 23.6 percent and in the Middle East it is 21.1 percent.

ManpowerGroup recently published the Insight paper: "WANTED: Energized, Career-Driven Youth" to detail how businesses can partner with educators and government authorities unleash the potential of today's youth. The paper, which draws on ManpowerGroup's 60-years of experience of working with organizations committed to advancing the skills of youth, can be found here: http://www.manpowergroup.com/research/research.cfm

About INJAZ al-Arab

INJAZ al-Arab harnesses the mentorship of Arab business leaders to help inspire a culture of entrepreneurialism and business innovation among Arab youth. Operating in 14 countries across the Middle East and North Africa region, INJAZ al-Arab is a confederation of national operations collaborating with corporate volunteers and Ministries of Education to provide experiential education and training to Arab youth in work readiness, financial literacy and entrepreneurship.

The only organization in the MENA region that aims to equip students with practical business-related skills as part of the regular educational curriculum, INJAZ al-Arab programs offer students an unbroken chain of educational opportunities that will strengthen their innovation, deepen their understanding of the business world, and give them professional qualifications to enable their success in the global economy.

In parallel, it fosters among business leaders a responsibility for investing their resources in the future of the region's youth and becoming the mirrors they want to see in the world by mentoring and inspiring young people to rise to their true potential. Since its inception in 2004, INJAZ al-Arab programs have reached more than 500,000 students and engaged 10,000 volunteers.

A National Board of Directors leads each INJAZ country operation, with the INJAZ al-Arab Regional Board responsible for directing overall strategy and organizational governance. These bodies comprise the region's top business leaders who share a common ideal for the Arab youth.

INJAZ al-Arab is a member of Junior Achievement Worldwide. Visit: www.injazalarab.org/en

About ManpowerGroup

ManpowerGroup™ (NYSE: MAN), the world leader in innovative workforce solutions, creates and delivers high-impact solutions that enable our clients to achieve their business goals and enhance their competitiveness. With over 60 years of experience, our $22 billion company creates unique time to value through a comprehensive suite of innovative solutions that help clients win in the Human Age. These solutions cover an entire range of talent-driven needs from recruitment and assessment, training and development, and career management, to outsourcing and workforce consulting. ManpowerGroup maintains the world's largest and industry-leading network of nearly 3,800 offices in over 80 countries and territories, generating a dynamic mix of an unmatched global footprint with valuable insight and local expertise to meet the needs of its 400,000 clients per year, across all industry sectors, small and medium-sized enterprises, local, multinational and global companies. By connecting our deep understanding of human potential to the ambitions of clients, ManpowerGroup helps the organizations and individuals we serve achieve more than they imagined — because their success leads to our success. And by creating these powerful connections, we create power that drives organizations forward, accelerates personal success and builds more sustainable communities. We help power the world of work. The ManpowerGroup suite of solutions is offered through ManpowerGroup™ Solutions, Manpower®, Experis™ and Right Management®. Learn more about how the ManpowerGroup can help you win in the Human Age at www.manpowergroup.com.

ManpowerGroup is the most trusted brand in the industry, and was once again the only company in our industry to be named to the Ethisphere Institute's 2012 World's Most Ethical Companies list for our proven commitment to ethical business practices, including an outstanding commitment to ethical leadership, compliance practices and corporate social responsibility.

In January 2011, at the World Economic Forum Annual Meeting in Davos, Switzerland, ManpowerGroup announced the world has entered the Human Age, where talent has replaced capital as the key competitive differentiator. This concept of talentism as the new capitalism continues to resonate and was echoed as a core theme of the 2012 Annual Meeting of the World Economic Forum in Davos. Learn more about this new age at www.manpowergroup.com/humanage

Gain access to ManpowerGroup's extensive thought leadership papers, annual Talent Shortage surveys and the Manpower Employment Outlook Survey, one of the most trusted indices of employment activity in the world, via the ManpowerGroup World of Work Insight iPad application. This thought leadership app explores the challenges faced by employers navigating the changing world of work and provides in-depth commentary, analysis, insight and advice on strategies for success.

Follow ManpowerGroup Chairman and CEO Jeff Joerres on Twitter: twitter.com/manpowergroupjj. Joerres is one of only six Fortune 500 CEOs who leverages a Twitter account to get his message out.

SOURCE ManpowerGroup