The National Employment Pactc/o German Arab Chamber of Commerce (GACIC) 21 Soliman AbazaMohandessin, Giza – EgyptE info@nep-egypt.comI www.nep-egypt.com

Supported by: Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ) GmbHPrivate Sector and Employment Promotion

Funded by:German Federal Foreign Office

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Table of Content

NEP EMPLOYMENT FAIR MANUAL 11. Introduction 42. Planning an Employment Fair 62.1. DefiningtheObjectivesofanEmploymentFair 62.2. Target Group 72.3. SettingaDatefortheEmploymentFair 82.4. DevelopingtheProgramoftheEmploymentFair 92.5. ChoosinganOrganizingTeamandIdentifyingTasksforPreparation 112.6. Budget 123. OrganizinganEmploymentFair 133.1. Location 133.2. Equipment 143.3. OutreachandPromotion 154. ImplementinganEmploymentFair:TheNEPModel 184.1. Generalconsiderationsabouttheday 184.2. TheNEPEmploymentFairin7steps 195. MonitoringandEvaluation(M&E) 21

ANNEXES 23AnnexA:ChecklistforImplementingtheEmploymentFair 23AnnexB:SampleofaComponentPlanning 27AnnexC1:SampleFlyer 28AnnexC2:SampleRoll-up 29AnnexC3:SampleFacebookPost 30AnnexD1:JobSeekerRegistrationForm(Hardcopy) 3 31AnnexD2:EmploymentFairRegistrationForm(CompanyForm) 32AnnexE1:EmploymentFairMonitoringSheet 34AnnexE2:EmploymentFairJobSeekerMonitoringSheet 35AnnexE3:EmploymentFairCompanyMonitoringSheet 38AnnexE4:EmploymentFairOutreachandLogisticsMonitoringSheets 40AnnexF:EmploymentFairEvaluationForm(forbusinesses) 44AnnexG:NominationCard 46

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1 Introduction

T heNationalEmploymentPact(NEP)isaninitiativeoftheEgyptian-GermanBusi-nessCommunityincooperationwiththeGerman-ArabChamberofIndustryandCommerce(GACIC).ItissupportedbytheDeutscheGesellschaftfürInternation-

aleZusammenarbeit(GIZ)GmbHonbehalfoftheGermanFederalForeignOffice(AA),withinitialfundingfromtheFederalMinistryofInternationalCooperationandDevelop-ment(BMZ).PatronageoftheinitiativeisheldbytheGermanEmbassyinEgypt.

TheNEPiscenteredonthepromotionofsustainableemploymentbyprovidingfairanddecentjobstoyoungEgyptians.BusinessesthataimtocooperatewiththeNEPcommitthemselvestoadheringtoNEPjobqualitystandards.Thesestandardsincluderespect-ablesalaries,workcontracts,socialsecurity,goodworkingconditions,genderbalance,fairtreatment,andequalaccesstoemploymentopportunitiesforemployees.Indoingso,theNEPfocusesstronglyonBlueCollarJobs–ajobsegmentwhichhasahighemploymentpotentialbut,often,inadequateworkingconditionsandlowsocialprestige.

ThecorebusinessoftheNEPinthisregardistheestablishmentofemploymentcent-ersofferingserviceslinkingbusinesseswithyoungEgyptianjobseekers.Thisentailsprovidingsuitableandmotivatedcandidatestobusinessesandorientationcourseswithbasicinformationonworkethics,employers’expectationsandinterviewtechniquestoyoungEgyptianjobseekers.

TheNEPhasestablishedanumberoftheseemploymentcentersthroughwhichbusi-nessescan list their jobvacanciesandyoungEgyptian jobseekerscanapply tobematchedwithajob.BothjobseekersandvacanciesareregisteredintheNEP’sdata-baseandafterbeingregisteredandassessedbyamemberoftheemploymentcenter’sstaff,thejobseekersarematchedtoasuitablevacancy.TheinitialstepofthisprocessisoutreachtojobseekerstomakethemawareoftheopportunitiestheNEPoffers.Thiscanbeconductedthroughdifferent,complementarychannels:

• SocialmediaandtheInternete.g.Facebook,YouTube,theNEPwebsite,etc.

• Newspaperadverts,flyers,bannersorpostersinareaswithahighpercentageof

BlueCollarworkers.

• Outreachthroughcooperatingpartnersactinginthefielde.g.NGOsandothers

• Streetcampaignsanddirectcontacttojobseekersinpubliclocations,e.g.metro,

coffeeshops,etc.

• Employmentfairs.

Among thedifferentchannelsmentionedabove,employment fairsproved tobeoneofthemosteffectivewaysofreachinghighnumbersof(BlueCollar)jobseekersinashortperiodoftime.Sinceitsinceptionin2011,theNEPhasconductedmorethan29EmploymentFairsandgainedextensiveexperienceofthepro’sandcon’saswellasthedo’sanddon’t’s.

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Generallyanemploymentfaircanbeconsideredasashowcaseof jobopportunitiesfor individualswhoseekwork;allowing themtocontactemployersdirectly.However,theuniqueapproachoftheNEPincludeseffectivematch-makingandorientationofjobseekers inorder toachievea fasterplacementduring theemployment fair.Thepro-cessbeginsbytheinterviewingandregisteringofjobseekers,then,afterpre-selection,suitablecandidatesarereferredtoemployersforinterviewing.Thisprocessallowsjobseekerstobeselectedbasedontheircharacteristics(qualifications,skills,goals,etc.)andthereforeaccomplishesveryhighlevelsofsuitabilitybetweenreferredcandidatesandofferedvacancies.Thismeansahighnumberofsuccessfulandwell-fittingplace-mentscanbeachieved.Thus,theNEPmodelofemploymentfairsproveshighlyeffec-tiveintermsoftime,effortandcostsforbothemployersandjobseekers.

Asmuchasemployment fairsprove tobesuccessful instruments foroutreaching toEgyptianjobseekersandforsuccessfullymatch-makingworkerswithjobs,sodotheyalsoeatup resources.Thereforeproperplanning isneeded; includingsettingobjec-tives,locatingavenue,allocatingthebudget,targetingsponsors,marketingandadver-tising,solicitingbusinessparticipation,andprocuringboothsandtables.ThismanualhasbeendevelopedonthebasisofthemanifoldexperienceoftheNEPEmploymentCenters.Itspurposeistoprovidecomprehensiveandconciseinstructionsfororganis-ingasuccessfulemploymentfairsuitedtoNEP’spartnersandotheractorsinthefieldofemploymentpromotionandyouthdevelopmentinEgypt.

Themanualissplitintofourpartsprogressingfromplanning(part1),organizing(part2), and implementing an employment fair (part 3) to themonitoring& evaluation ofemploymentfairs(part4).Eachpartincludesdetaileddescriptionoftheprocesssteps(summariesofthesecanbefoundinachecklistinannexA)aswellasgeneraltipsformakingtheeventassuccessfulaspossible.Theannexesincludeexamplesofallmate-rialusedforanemploymentfair,rangingfromasampleflyertothemonitoringsheets.

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2 Planning an Employment Fair

2.1 Defining the Objectives of an Employment FairThestartingpoint,andmostcrucialpart,ofplanninganyemploymenteventisthedefini-tionofitsobjectives.Thiswilldictatethedesignoftheevent,itstargetgroup,thechoiceoftheeventcomponents,thevenue,andallotherrelatedaspects.Forinstance,organ-izinganevent inorder toexchangecareer information involvesdifferentparticipantsandactionstoanemploymentfairatwhichcompaniesconductjobinterviewsrightonthespot.

At employment fairs, participating busi-nesseswish toscreenmanycandidateswithouttheinitialexpenseofreachingoutto them;and,at the same time, to intro-duce themselves as desirable employ-ers. Jobseekerswant tomeetavarietyof employers at once, be able to applyfor jobs directly, to receive informationabout the labor market, and to be ad-vised and informed about work issues.

InthecaseoftheNEP,employmentfairsusuallyencompassthefollowingthreegoals:

• ToregisterandinterviewyoungEgyptianjobseekersandthenmatchthemwith

suitablejobs.

• Toreachouttootherjobseekersthatcanbeplacedintosuitablevacanciesin

thefuturethroughtheNEP’semploymentcenters.

• TopromotetheNEP’semploymentcentersandtheservicesitofferstoEgyptian

youthandemployers.

Remember to consult all related stakeholders when setting the ob-jectives, including donors, imple-menting partner organizations, the government, etc. This especially applies if the Employment Fair is organized at the request of certain organizations with clear demands or criteria to be met.

1) What do we and our partners want to achieve through this employ-ment fair? For example:• The registration of high numbers of job seekers for the employment

centers

• Theorientationofjobseekers

• Tosatisfyaconcretedemandforworkforcebyemployers

• Toofferjobopportunitiestoaspecificgroupofjobseekersthroughdirect

placement

• Thepromotionofacertainsectororjobprofile

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2.2 Target GroupAftertheobjectivesareset,thetargetgroupmustbeidentifiedandaddressed.TheNa-tionalEmploymentPactforexampleistoprovidedecentjobopportunitiestoBlueCol-larworkers.Therefore,asageneralassumption,thetargetgroupisalwaysBlueCollarworkers.However,sincethisgroupisverybroadthiswillneedtobefurtherrefinedwiththefollowingpossiblecriteria:

• Specificjobprofile(s)

• Specificsector(s)

• Specificagegroup(s)

• Gender

• Specificqualifications

• Otherspecificdemandsfrom

partners

CASE STUDY:If the objective is to fill job va-

cancies in the printing sector with

suitable candidates then the tar-

get group becomes Blue Collar job

seekers, preferably with a degree

from one of the respective TVET

schools.

2) Can we further specify any of these aspects in numbers? For example:• Howmanyjobsshouldweaimtofill?

• Howmanyjobseekersareweaimingtoregister?

• Howmanyjobseekersshouldreceiveorientationandinformationonsec-

tors/jobprofiles?

• Etc.

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roup 1) Which target group is required in order to achieve the objectives?

2) Are there practical considerations which mean the target group should be further restricted?

2.3 Setting a Date for the Employment FairThetimingofaneventusuallyimpactshighlyonitssuccess.Thisinvolvesthecarefulselectionofadatewhenhighnumbersofthetargetgroupcanbeexpectedtobeavail-

able. While, for example, fresh-grads andtheunemployedaremoreflexiblewiththeirtimeandmightbewellabletoattendanem-ployment fair on aworking day, employed(or partially employed)workers looking foracareerchangecanusuallyonlyattendatweekends.Generallyyoucanalsoassumethat the broader the target group and thelargertheexpectednumbersofjobseekers,themore days that should be planned fortheevent.ExperiencefromtheNEPshowsthattwotothreedayeventshaveprovedtobeverysuccessfultoattractwidergroupsofjobseekers.Thesameprincipleapplies totheopeninghours:thelongertheyare,themore diverse the audience. For example,

womenwithfamilydutiesaremostlikelytoattendearlyinthemorning,whenchildrenareatschool.

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Inaddition,apropertimeplanningallowsawell-timedpreparationbeforetheevent.Thebetteranevent is organized from the beginning, the lesslikelyitisthatproblemsorevenfailureswillariseduringtheevent.Therefore,itisimportanttocon-sider a proper time frame until the event takesplaceforallorganizationandtechnicalsupplyandservicesneeded.

Well prepared organization should include clear communication of tasks and proce-dureswithall theofficial participants, especially the representativesandstaff of thebusinessesinvolved,sothateveryoneisabletopreparethemselvesintime.

When choosing a date for the event, you should consider the following:- Weekends allow those job seekers that are already employed but loo-king for a career change to attend as well as the unemployed

- Events held over several days al-low more flexibility for attendance- Religious or national holidays (and related activities) might prevent a high attendance rate

Consider regular meetings with

all related stakeholders to

follow up on the organization

process in order to mitigate any

risks or problems.

1) How much time will we need to organize the event properly?2) Which date suits our partners and team members best?3) Does the chosen date allow for the types of job seekers we are targeting to attend the event in large numbers?

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2.4 Developing the Program of the Employment Fair As already mentioned in chapter 2.1, the objectives of the employmentfair dictate its program components. Since each component requires in-dividual organization, material, and personnel during implementation theymust be well selected and adjusted according to the number of participants.

Whilemostofthecomponentsoftheeventprogramrelatestronglytotheobjectivesset,othersshouldbeconsideredineverycase,forexample:

• Securitycheckattheentrance

• Anentrancewithareception/information

pointabouttheemploymentfair

• Organizer’sinformationandinformation

aboutpartners

• Monitoringandevaluation

Thefollowingtablegivesanoutlineofpossibleprogramcomponentsandrelatedactivi-ties.Pleasenotethatitisonlyabletoprovidebriefsuggestionsintendedtostimulatetheorganizer’sowncreativity:

The components of the event program have to relate to the objectives set at the beginning.

Possible Components

Implemented through …

Registration of Job Seekers

• Interviewareawithtables,chairsandcomputersfordata entry

Orientation of Job Seekers about Labor Market and/or Work Ethics

• Orientationsessiononworkethics(asdesignedbytheNEP)

• Distributionofprintedmaterialprovidinginformationonspecificjobprofilesandsectors(walkingaroundandfixedstands)

• Informationboothsforemployerstoanswerjobsee-kers’questions.

• ‘Do-It-Yourself’Stationspresentingcharacteristicworkactivitiesandproducingsmallgiveawaysfortheaudience

• Screeningofshortvideoclips• Etc.

Employer Represen-tation and Promotion

• Boothsforselectedemployersandpartners• Anyotheractivitiesinrelationtothebusinesses

Direct Placement • Registration• Pre-selectionandmatch-making• Interviewswithemployers

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Eachcomponentwillrequireitsownmaterial,equipment,timing,andpersonnelforitsimplementationduringtheeventdays;allofwhichneedstobetakenintoconsiderationwhenorganizingtheevent.Tohelpnarrowdowntheactivitiesandraiseawarenessofeachrequirement,itisrecommendedpracticetodevelopaninternalagendaandcom-ponentplanning(seeannexBforasample)coveringthefollowingaspects:

• Component name

• Relatedactivityduringtheevent

• Schedule/timing(continuous/specifictimes/etc.)

• Responsible.

• Personnelneededduringtheeventday

• Preparation,material&equipmentneeded

1) What program components will allow us to achieve our objectives?

2) Do the selected program components suit the target audience?

3) Is the resulting workload dictated by the chosen components achievable within the set time frame?

4) How many personnel will the components require during the event?

5) Do we have a proper schedule and plan for the event, and has it been shared with all the parties involved?

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2.5 Choosing an Organizing Team and Identifying Tasks for Preparation Aftertheprogramhasbeendecidedupon,thescheduledeveloped,andeachrequire-mentidentified;thetasksforpreparationcanbedefinedandassignedtomembersoftheorganizingteam.Inadditiontothepreparationforthedifferentcomponents,therearealsosomegeneralissueslikeoutreachandpromotion(seechapter3.2).Acom-ponentplanninglikepresentedinannexBwillalsohelpidentifytheprecisetasksforeachteammember.

Thenextstepistodefinewhowillberesponsibleforwhich task.The followingdivisionof tasks isgen-erallyrecommended,butthesechoicesarehighlydependentonthescopeandactivitiesofthefair:

• General Event Management: The respon-sibilityofleadingandsupervisingallaspectsoftheplanning,organizationandimplemen-tationoftheemploymentfair.

• Personnel:Managingtheworkforceand,ifrequired,hiringsuitableemployeesorvolunteersforlongandshorttermactivi-ties.

• Logistics: Procuring the venue and providing equipment, supplies, electricity,internetconnection,etc.

• Networking and Cooperation Management:Establishingcontacts,attractingandcommittingemployerstothefair,preparingguidelinesforbusinessparticipa-tion,andkeepinginclosecommunicationwithallparticipantsinordertoservetheirneedsbefore,duringandaftertheemploymentfair.

• Marketing and Communication:Theresponsibilityforthepromotionoftheem-ploymentfair,aswellasexternalcommunicationandpublicrelations.

• Graphic Design:Developing thedesigns forbrochures,posters,bannersand

furtherpromotionalmaterials.

• Administration:Providingageneralsecretarialfunctionandassistingallmem-bersoftheorganizationteamwithmiscellaneoustasks.

Thesetasksarenotnecessarilyseparatefromoneanotherandmaynotneeddifferentpeopleworkingonthem.Ingeneral,therequirednumberofteammembersalongwiththeir required skills and competency depend primarily on the size and the intendedtasksoftheemploymentfair.

There is a difference bet-

ween the Team organizing

and preparing the Employ-

ment Fair and the staff

needed for the actual event

days. Normally, additional staff

will be required during the

event.

2.6 BudgetApropercalculationofallcostsiscrucial.Itisfundamentaltobeawareofthecostsofallbudgeteditemsandcompileitinatable,asshownbelow:

Budget Item Costs (EGP)

Rent: (Hallorvenue)

Equipment: (Set-upe.g.furniture,laptops,etc.)

Staff I: (Salariesfororganizingteamandprofessionalemploymentofficersduringtheemploymentfair)

Staff II: (Volunteersbeforeandduringtheemploymentfair)

Promotion: (Printedmaterialse.g.flyers,roll-ups,T-shirts,banners,etc.)

Supplies: (Stationery,catering,etc.)

Other Costs: (Un-plannedevents:e.g.suddenrequestsormissingitems)

Total

Itshouldbementionedthatthecostsarehighlydependentontheactivitiesandamountofstaff,aswellasthepricesofmaterialandequipment;andallofthesethingswilldifferineverycase.

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1) What tasks must be conducted in order to prepare each component?

2) What general activities are needed to support all the components?

3) Who is responsible for what?

4) Are further resources needed and, if so, how can they be acquired?

1) Did we calculate every budgeted item precisely?

2) How can we reduce the costs of the venue, material and equipment?

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3. Organizing an Employment Fair

3.1. Location

Selecting a VenueOneoftheessentialconsiderationswhenpreparinganeventisthenecessaryarrange-mentswithrespecttothelocationandvenue.

Aboveall,a locationthatmeetsthere-quirementsofhostingtheexpectednum-berofparticipantsneedstobefoundintime.Generally the location should beinanareawithahighpercentageofthetargetgroupofjobseekerslivingthere.TheNEP,forexample,focusesonBlueCollarworkers and therefore conductsitsemploymentfairsinurbanareasthatcontainsignificantnumbersof lowandmediumskilledpeoplewhoareusuallyattractedtoBlueCollarsjobs.

Since theusual purposeof anemployment fair is toplace job seekers intoexistingjobopportunities,targetinganareathatislocatedrelativelyclosetothesefutureworkplacesisrecommended.Longcommuteshinderjobseekersfromworking(especiallythefemales).Inthecasethataspecificbusinessorotherorganizatione.g.chambers,syndicatesorTVETinstitutions,areorganizingtheemploymentfair,itcanalsobeuse-fultoconductthefairattheirpremisesassumingsufficientspaceisavailable.

Event Component Distribution at the Venue

Special attention should be given to fine-tun-ing the position of the different areas for allthe components of the event. This includesassigning specific areas for every immobilecomponent,e.g.orientationsessions,informa-tionbooths,receptionandsoon.Furthermore,themobileactivitieslikedistributionofflyersorothermaterialwillneedapreparationorretreatareaassignedastheymaycausecongestion.

Somecomponentsmighthavespecialrequire-ments regarding their location. For exampleregistration and employer interviews need tobeplacedwheretheywillnotbedisturbedbythenoiseoftherestoftheemploymentfair.

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The following aspects should play a

role, when selecting a venue:

- Sufficient space is available for

audience and all program components

- There are sufficient sanitary facilities

- The location is well-known and socially

acceptable for women to visit

- The location is easily accessible by

public transportation

Developing a map of the fair and the flow of its visitors is highly recommended. It assists in the recognition of area-related problems in advance. Volunteers can then guide visitors through difficult areas.

3.2. EquipmentItisrecommendedthateachcomponentleadercreatesalistofrequiredequipmentandsubmitsittotheappropriatelogisticsperson(seeabove).Thispersonisthenresponsibleforprovidingallrequiredequipment.

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1) Is the venue big enough for the desired number of job seekers and all the component activities?

2) Is the venue well-known, attractive and easily accessible for the target group?

3) Is the space distributed according to the needs of each compo-nent? Are all specific requirements taken into account?

4) Does the space distribution allow for the smooth flow of visitors during the event?

1) What equipment is needed to conduct each activity, in each com-ponent, throughout the event?

2) What other basic material and equipment is needed?

3) Should catering for the staff be provided?

4) How is the transportation/delivery of material and equipment to and from the location organized?

5) When is transportation/delivery of material and equipment to and from the location possible? How many people are needed?

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3.3. Outreach and Promotion

Outreaching to EmployersAnotherfocusduringthepreparationof theemployment fairconcerns theintegration of the private sector asa provider of decent job opportuni-ties. It is recommended to establishcontact with, and to integrate theseemployersatanearlystage ifpossi-ble,butcertainlyat least twoweeksin advance of the event. Also, theselection of businesses and openvacancies should correspond withthe intended targetgroup;obviously,it does notmakemuch sense to in-volve companies offering low skilledjobswhen addressing higher skilledemployees.ThatiswhytheNEP,forexample, focusesontheBlueCollarjobsegmentontheonehandandap-proaches low ormedium skilled jobseekersontheother.

Outreachingtosuitablecompaniesandprovidingdecentjobopportunities,canbequiteachallenge.Alotoftimeandeffortisneededtolocatethemandestablishtherequiredrelationship.NEPexperienceshowsthatcontactscanbestbeestablishedthroughchambers,industryfederationsandothercommunicationchannels,notfor-gettingpersonalcontactsfromwithintheorganizingteam.

Outreaching to Blue Collar Job seekers Inordertoensureahighparticipationofthetargetgroupduringtheemploymentfair,theeventneedstobepromotedintheareaaroundthevenueandinotherareaswherethetargetpopulationislikelytobeprevalent,priortotheevent.Therearealotofdifferentpromotionchannelswhichcanbeusedforthispurpose,suchas:• Socialmediaplatforms,likeFacebookandYouTube

• Promotionthroughnewspaperadverts,flyers,bannersorposters

• Advertisementinyouthclubs,NGOs,TVETschools,etc.

• Streetcampaigns

• SMSandverbalcommunication

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Depending on the objective of the

employment fair, businesses should

be invited according to:

- the sector they’re active in

- high numbers of offered job

vacancies

- their contribution to other

components.

It can range from 5 to 20 busi-

nesses depending on their specific

involvement.

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Eachpromotionchannelhas itsown requirements in termsofpreparation, timeandcoststhatmustbetakenintoconsideration.Asampleofprintedpromotionmaterial(fly-ers)canbefoundinAnnexC:PromotionMaterials.

TheexperienceofNEPEmploymentFairsdem-onstrates thatstreetcampaignsareaveryef-fectivetoolinapproachingBlueCollarjobseek-ers.Thismeansthatagroupofapproximately10 to20volunteerswalk thestreetssurround-ing the employment fair location from 2 daysbeforetheevent.Theyexplainthelocationandpurposeoftheevent,inviteattendees,anddis-tributeinformationflyers.Additionally,thiscouldbecontinuedduringtheeventaswellasbeforeinordertogainspontaneousparticipants.

Timetable for Promotional ActivitiesAsmentionedbefore,awell-thought-outandtimelypromotionisessentialinordertoensuretheattendanceofjobseekersandemployers.Thus,itisimportanttospecifyanaccurateandpropertimeframewhichencompassesallpromotionalactivities,includingplanningwhentasksaretobecompletedandwhoisresponsibleforthem.

For street campaigns it is not only beneficial to speak to young people in the streets, but also to older individuals who could be related to poten-tial young job seekers.

Weeks before the Event

Activity Responsible 5 4 3 2 1

Identifyinganddecidingonout-reachchannels

Divisionofpromotionalwork(hiringvolunteersforsupportifnecessary)

Designingthepromotionalmate-rialforjobseekers

(Printing,ifnecessary)

Attracting and contacting compa-nies

Promotioncampaign,inordertoreachouttoBlueCollarjobseekers

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1) What channels can we use to approach businesses?

2) What are our selling points? What will attract employers?

3) What communication channels do we know of for approaching Blue Collar workers?

4) What are the concrete promotion activities that we want to conduct?

5) Do we have enough resources? How can we acquire greater ones?

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4. Implementing an Employment Fair: The NEP Model

Aftertheplanning,preparationandfinalizationandorganizationoftheemploymentfairprogram,theeventcantakeplace.OnewaytoconductanEmploymentFair isdem-onstratedbytheexampleoftheNEPEmploymentFairswhofocusonthedirectplace-mentofBlueCollarworkersintodecentjobs,asdescribedbelow.Butbeforepresentingtheexampleof theNEP, it isuseful to introducesomegeneralconsiderationsaboutimplementingtheemploymentfairfirst.

4.1. General considerations about the day

Preparation and LogisticsUsuallythevenuehastobesetupandpreparedthedaybeforetheemploymentfair.Thismeans,thatallmaterialandequipmentmustbedeliveredtothelocationbythistimeandtheareasforeachcomponentshouldbebuiltup, includingsettingup tables, chairs, roll-ups, promotional mate-rial, the supply of electricity for computers, etc.Itshouldbeclearbeforehandhoweachcompo-nentwillbeorganizedandeachtaskdistributed.Itishighlyrecommendednottoleavethisprepa-rationuntilthemorningoftheeventasthisdoesnot leave any time for copingwith problems orobtainingthingsthathavebeenforgotten.

Itisnotonlythetransportoftheequipmentandmaterialthatisimportanthowever,thejointtransportationofstaffshouldalsobeconsideredasthiswillensurethatallteammemberscanarriveintimeandworktogether.

Aftertheemploymentfairthevenueusuallyhastobeclearedrightaway.Afteralongand exhausting dayworking at such an event, additional resources and assistancemightbeneededtosupportthestaffindeconstructingandpackinguptheirworkareas.Returntransportforthestaffandequipmentmustalsobeorganized.

PersonnelAspreviouslymentioned,theorganizingteamisresponsibleforpreparingeachstepoftheemploymentfair.However,fortheeventitself(dependingontheprogramandeventcomponents)additionalandspecificstaffwillnormallybeneeded.

The‘NEPEmploymentFairEventTeam’isusuallycomposedofanumberofemploy-mentofficersthatareprofessionalininterviewingandorientingBlueCollarjobseekers.Theywillfocusonthesetasksaswellasthecoordinationandsupervisionofthewholeevent.

Either ensure that the room you are using can be locked and nobody can enter over night or take all valuable equipment (laptops, electronics, etc.) away with you and return them the next day.

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Volunteersareanessentialsupportbothbeforeandduring theevent.Selectedvolunteerscanbothpro-mote theevent inadvance,and/or takecareofex-ecutiveactivitiesduringit.Usuallyprospectivevolun-teersareknowntotheorganizersthroughpreviousactivitiesor connections throughpartnersandstaff.Theyshouldbecharacterizedbytheirsocialcommit-mentandwillingnessandenthusiasmtoparticipateincommunitydevelopment.

Allvolunteersshouldreceiveaproperbriefingaboutatleastthefollowingaspects:

• Theeventscheduleandprogram

• Theirownroleandresponsibilityduringtheday

• TheorganisationimplementingtheeventTheNEPalsoprovidesamandatory‘refreshertraining’foreachvolunteerinordertobuilduptheircapabilities.Therefreshertrainingforvolunteerscovers(I) theemploy-mentservices,includinginterviewskills,(II)dealingwiththedatabase,(III)thematchingprocess,andfinally,(IV)monitoringthecompanyinterview.

4.2. The NEP Employment Fair in 7 stepsTobrieflysummarise:theNEPEmploymentFairsfocusonBlueCollarjobsandhavedevelopedauniqueapproachtothis.Participatingjobseekersgothroughasequenceofsteps.Atfirst,jobseekerstakeashort‘JobOrientation’session.AfterwhichtheyareinterviewedbyoneoftheNEPEmploymentCenter’semploymentofficers,andarethenregisteredintotheNEPdatabase.Finallytheyarematchedwithsuitablevacanciesandreferredtopotentialemployersforinterview.Inamoredetailedway,theprocesscanbedescribedinthe7stepsbelow: •Reception:Visitorsneedtobeguidedthroughtheeventrightfromthestart.Therefore,areceptionprovidingjobseekerswithbasicinformationabouttheeventiscrucial.Thereceptionmarksthestartingpointforjobseekerstogetregisteredandbeintroducedtothetasksthatwillfollow.Ingeneralitactsasaninformationpointaswellaspreparationforthenextstep.Also,thereceptionservesasafocalpointtodirectthejobseekerstothe‘EmploymentFairOrientationSession’.

•NEP Employment Fair Orientation: Thisisa30-minuteEmploymentFairOrientationSessionthattakesplacebeforetheinterviews.Itisconductedbyaspecializedemploy-mentofficerfromtheNEPEmploymentCenterandconcentratesonthefollowingtopics:

A. TheNationalEmploymentPact:itsbackground,scopeandservices,

Make sure, that all team

members are aware of

- their roles & responsi-

bilities

- the event schedule and

break times

1Egyptianyouthbetween18and35yearsold,withlowandmediumleveleducation,clearedmilitarystatus.

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B.Processandcirculationinsidetheemploymentfair:specificexplanationofthediffer-entstepsinsidetheemploymentfairaswellasinformationabouttheregisteredbusi-nessesthatarerepresentedandthevacanciesavailable.C.Anintensivemoduleabouthowtobehaveduringtheinterview(s)withtheemploy-mentofficerandcompanyrepresentatives.

•The Application Desk:WherethejobseekerisscreenedandcheckedforcompliancewiththeNEPeligibilitycriteria.Ifhe/shecomplieswiththeNEPcriteria,theNEPrepre-sentativewillcoordinatewithavacantemploymentofficerfortheinterview.Aselectedvolunteerisresponsibleforthe‘ApplicationDesk’andthispersonhasresponsibilityfortheflowofjobseekersinsidetheinterviewingarea.

•The Interview:Inordertoexplorethejobseeker’sbackground,education,workex-perience, etc., a full and compre-hensive job interview is conductedduring the event. The employmentofficers enter the obtained data di-rectly into the database. In case oftechnical problems, the data is re-cordedinhardcopyforms(seeannexD1)2.Afterthejobinterview,thejobseeker is matched with jobs availa-bledirectlyattheemploymentfair.Ifthejobseekermatchesoneormoreoftheavailablevacancieswithintheemployment fair then he/she is pro-videdwithanominationcardandap-proved forgettingadirect interviewwith the company’s representatives.Intheeventthatthejobseekerdoesnotmatchanyof theofferedvacan-cieswithin the employment fair, he/shewillberegisteredintheNEPda-tabaseandreferredbacktotheirem-ploymentcenters.

• Transition to the Job Interview with Employers:Afterthejobseekerobtainshis/hernominationcard,anemploymentofficerwilldirecthim/her to therelevantemployers’booths.She/hedirectsthejobseekeronhowtocirculatearoundtheeventbasedonwherethecompaniestheyhavebeendirectedtowardsarelocated.

• The Company Interview:Inthecaseofsuccessfuljobmatching,thejobseekerwillproceedwithacompanyinterview.Therespectivecompany’srecruitmentrepresenta-tiveswillconducttheinterviewanditwillalsobeattendedbyanNEPemployee.Thisinterviewincludes(1)theapplicationinterviewcoveringthejobseeker’srelevantskills

2Forfurtherdetailsontheinterviewingprocessandthematchmakingassuch,alsoseethe“NEPTextbook:BasicSkillsforEmploymentOfficers”

The Nomination Card: The Nomi-nation Card (See Annex G) is filled in initially by the NEP employment officer after concluding the interview with the job seeker. It includes the information below:

A. The status of the job seeker and whether the applicant attended the orientation session,

B. The nomination of the job seeker for up to three

vacancies, in three different registered businesses, at the employment fair.

21

andabilities,and,(2)feedbackaboutthecourseoftheinterviewandwhethertheap-plicantpassedorfailed.TheNEPrepresentativewillkeeptrackoftheresultforeachjobseekerinordertoupdateNEP’sdatabase.

Aftercompletingthejobinterview,thecompanyoughttomarktherespectivefieldonthejobseeker’snominationcardwhichstatesthattheapplicantperformedtheinterview.Thereafter,thejobseekermayproceedtothefinalstepoftheemploymentfairevent.

• The Final Step:Last,butnotleast,allnominationcardsandfeedbacksheetsshouldbe collected from the job seekers before they leave the venue.Also, opportunity isgivenforjobseekerstogathersomelastinformationintheformofbrochures,sheets,etc.Therefore,anexitdeskisestablishedinapositionwhichallinterviewedcandidatesmustpassby.Inordertoreceiveallnominationcardsand,ifpossible,alsoensurethatallinterviewshavebeendone,aselectedpersonmustberesponsibleforthisstepoftheprocess.

Also,attheendofthe‘EmploymentFairEvent’,everyparticipatingbusinessisrequiredtosubmitthe‘EmploymentFairEvaluationForm’withtheirfeedback.(SeeAnnexE1:EmploymentFairEvaluationForm)

Monitoring and Evaluation (M&E)Oneofthekeypartsofconductinganemploymentfairistheanalysisofitsoutcomesandthemeasuringofitsachievementoftheinitialobjectives.Thisinvolvescollectingdataduringtheemploymentfairandthenevaluatingit.Evenbeforetheevent,theper-sonresponsible(seechapter2.5)oughttodefinewhatinformationisneededtomeas-urethesuccessoftheevent.She/hemustthendevelopformsandsheetsaccordinglyanddistributethetaskofdatacollectionamongstallcomponents.

AnnexEprovidesfoursamplesformonitoringandevaluationthatareusedbytheNEP.Thisprovides information regarding thenumbersofattendees, jobseekersandbusi-nesses,aswellastheaccumulatedcostsforoutreachandpromotion.Themonitoringsheetsare:

E1 NEP Employment Fair Monitoring Sheet

Overall aggregated monitoring sheet for assessing the number of job seekers and companies, salary of offered vacan-cies, and costs for outreach and logis-tics of the Employment Fair.

E2 NEP Employment Fair Job Seeker Monitoring Sheet

Overall aggregated monitoring sheet about job seekers’ participation during the fair, e.g. orientation or interviews as well as costs.

22

It isnecessary thatall components receivetheir specific monitoring sheets and arebriefedabout thedata theyneed to collectduring theevent.Thisespeciallyapplies toforms that have to be filled in on the spot,so thatno informationgets lost.At theendof eachdayall formsanddatahave to becollectedforanaggregatedevaluation.Thistaskofgatheringandcollectingtheformsisespeciallycrucialwhenitcomestofeedbacksheetsfromcompaniesandjobseekers.Jobseekers,inparticular,movearoundalotatanemploymentfair,andsothefeedbacksheetshouldbeverycompactandeasilyfilled inwithinaveryshortperiodof time,andsev-eralcollectionpointsshouldbeestablishedthroughoutthevenue.

Fortheaggregatedevaluation,itisimportantthatthefocusshouldbeaboutassessingtheoutcomeregardingattendees,participants,placements,etc. inorder tomeasurethesuccessoftheevent.Ontheotherhand,theevaluationmustalsoencompasstheconsiderationoforganizationalfactors,suchastherelatingoftheoutcometothecostsandstrategiesusedforoutreaching.

Ifpossible,afollow-upaftertheeventwithsomeofitsvisitorsshouldalsobeconducted.ForthecaseoftheNEPEmploymentFairswhichfocusonplacements,aonemonthfollow-up(aftertheevent)withtheinterviewedjobseekersshouldbesetupinordertoensuretheplacementsweresustainable.Thesamefollow-upappliesfortheparticipat-ingemployers/businessestoensurethattheyarecontentwiththeplacementofthejobseekersaswell.

Alongside evaluating the

quantitative indicators of the

employment fair, it is highly

recommended to have a (daily)

wrap-up meeting with the em-

ployment fair team in order to

reflect on the things that went

well or wrong, and to capture

the lessons learned ready for

the next day/event.

E3 NEP Employment Fair Company Monitoring Sheet

Detailed evaluation sheet about compa-nies’ attendance and their offered va-cancies.

E4 NEP Employment Fair Outreach and Logis-tics Monitoring Sheet

Monitoring sheet about the procedures and costs of outreaching before and logistics during the event.

F NEP Employment Fair Evaluation Form

Individual evaluation sheet for the at-tending companies to assess the event and to express their personal opinion.

23

Annexes

Annex A: Checklist for Implementing the Employment Fair

Check

Establishing the objectives of the event

TheobjectiveoftheEmploymentFairhasbeenclearlydefined.

□□□

ThenumberofJobSeekersparticipatinghasbeendefined.Theobjectiveshavebeenagreeduponwithallpart-ners.

Identify the target group

Thetargetgrouphasbeenclearlydefined. □□Thetargetgroupfitstheobjectivesset.

Set the date for the employment fair

Thedateissetinawaythatallcomponentscanbeorganizedinthetimeframeset.

□□

□

Thedateissetinawaythatthetargetgroupwillhaveafairchancetoattendtheeventinhighnum-bers.Nopublicorreligiousholidaysconflictwiththedateandmighthaveanegativeimpactontheattend-ancerates.

The organizing team has been put together

Staffhasbeenrecruitedtofulfillalltasksrelatedtoorganizinganemploymentfairoranagencyhasbeenassigned.

□

Develop the event program

Thecomponentsoftheeventprogramareselectedaccordingtotheobjectivesset.

□□□□

□

Thecomponentsoftheeventprogramareattrac-tivetothetargetaudience.Theworkloadforeachcomponentisknown;enoughtimetoorganizetheprogramisallocated.Aproperprogramscheduleisavailableandsharedwithallpartners.Aproperplanningforeacheventcomponentisavailableincluding-Materialandequipmentneeded-Personnelplanning.

Identify needed equipment

Alistofneededmaterialandequipmentisavailable.

□

24

Identify anddistribute tasks

Alltasksinpreparationoftheeventhavebeenidentified.

□□□

Thetasksforpreparationhavebeenclearlydistrib-utedamongthemembersoftheorganizingteam.Regularfollow-upsessionsregardingtheprogressofthepreparationaretakingplace.

Recruit personnel

Thenumberofrequiredpersonneltocarryouttheestimatedworkloadisdefinedforeachstageofpreparation.

□

□

□□□

Thenumberofrequiredpersonneltocarryoutthecomponentactivitiesduringtheeventdayisdefined.Additionalpersonnelifrequired,ishiredorvolun-teersrecruited.Everyoneknowstherequiredtasks/responsibilitiesandiscapabletocarryouttheworkload.(Ifnot:clearguidanceortrainingsessionsareavail-able.)

Plan the budget

Abudgetcalculationisavailable. □□□□

Forallmaterial,equipmentandotherbudgetitems,priceshavebeencomparedtoidentifythelowest.Enoughfinancialmeansareavailable.

(Ifnot:Otherfundscanbemadeavailableortheeventprogram/organizationisadjustedaccord-ingly.)

Select the employment fair’s venue

Theselectedvenuefitsthetargetgroup. □□

□□□

Theselectedvenueisbigenoughtohostallpro-gramcomponentsandtheexpectednumberofvisitors.Theselectedvenuehassufficientsanitaryfacilities.

TheselectedvenueissociallyacceptableformenANDwomentovisit.Theselectedvenueiseasilyaccessiblebypublictransportation.

Plan the event component distri-bution

Amapshowingthedistributionoftheeventcompo-nentsandtheflowofvisitorsisavailable.

□

25

Equipment is available and ready for usage

Basicsuppliesrequiredtoconducttheproposedactivitiesareidentifiedandavailable.E.g.:

Tablesandchairs,bulletinboards,boothpartitions,receptiontableandbanner,easelsforsignsandflipcharts,decorations(banners,balloons,etc.)

□

□

□

□

Requiredtechnicalequipmentisidentifiedandavailable.E.g.:

Electricity,electricalextensioncordsandelectri-caloutletmultipliers;Laptops,laptopchargersandprojectorsNecessaryofficesuppliesfortheeventdayareavailable.E.g.:

Papers,paperclips,notepads,foldersanden-velopes,clipboards,pens,pencilsandmarking,staplersaswellasstaplesInformationandPromotionMaterialisready.E.g.:

EmploymentFairbrochuresandflyers;requiredforms(SeeAnnexC-D);firstaidkit,etc.

Organize transportation of equipment

Thetransportoftheequipmenttothelocationonedaybeforetheeventisorganized.

□□Thetransportoftheequipmentfromthelocationon

thelastdayoftheeventisorganized.Outreach to employers and job seekers and promote the event

Theoutreachchannelstocompanieshavebeenidentified.

□□

□□□

Accordingtotheobjectivessetinthebeginning,asufficientnumberofparticipatingcompanieshasbeenacquired.TheoutreachchannelstoBlueCollarjobseekershavebeenidentified.Promotionmaterialisdevelopedandprintedontime.Promotionmaterialisdistributedintheareaaroundthevenueandinotherlocationsusedbythetargetgroup.

Acquire additional support in terms of personnel

Volunteershavebeenrecruited. □□

□

Volunteerssupportinginpromotionhavebeenbriefedaboutthescopeoftheirworkandtheinfor-mationtogivetojobseekers.VolunteerssupportingduringtheeventhavebeenbriefedabouttheirtasksduringtheeventandabouttheNEP.

Prepare the venue for the event day

Thevenuehasbeenpreparedfortheeventatthelatestonedaybeforetheevent.

□□ThekeyforthevenuehallstayswiththeGeneral

EventManager.Prepare the ‘Employment Fair Team’

Allteammembersareawareoftheirroles&re-sponsibilitiesduringtheevent.

□□□

Allteammembersareawareoftheschedule.

Allcommunicationchannelsareclear.

Ensure monitoring & evaluation during and after the event

AMonitoring&Evaluationsystemisinplace. □□□

□

AllcomponentsareawareoftheirtasksrelatedtotheM&E.Allforms,sheetsanddataarecollecteddirectlyaftertheeventandanevaluationisundertaken.Afinalsummarisingmeetingreflectingthesuccess-fulandunsuccessfulaspectsoftheday,anddocu-mentingthelessonslearnedwiththewholeteam,hasbeenconducted.

Com

pone

nt

Nam

eA

ctiv

ities

Tim

ing

Res

pons

ible

Pers

onne

l re

quire

men

t du

ring

even

tM

ater

ial &

Pre

para

tion

need

ed

Registration of job seekers

Job

seek

ers

are

assi

gned

to e

m-

ploy

men

t offi

cers

fo

r int

ervi

ewin

g or

hav

e to

wai

t for

th

eir t

urn

Continuously

xy

x vo

lunt

eers

/st

aff m

embe

rs

guid

ing

job

seek

ers

Waitingareawithxchairsandinform

a-tionmaterialtoreadwhilewaiting

Distributionmechanism

isinplace

Job

seek

ers

are

in

terv

iew

ed a

nd

thei

r dat

a en

tere

d in

to th

e da

taba

se

yz

X em

ploy

men

t of

ficer

s fa

mil-

iar w

ith th

e pr

oces

s an

d so

ftw

are

X ta

bles

, cha

irs a

nd la

ptop

s co

n-ne

cted

to th

e da

taba

seElectricalextensioncordsandoutlet

multipliers,officematerial

Physicalform

sincaseoftechnical

problems

ForN

EP:N

ominationCards

(SeeannexF)

Job

seek

ers

leav

e th

e in

terv

iew

ing

area

zaX

volu

ntee

rs/

staf

f mem

bers

Gui

danc

e to

em

ploy

er in

terv

iew

sExitsignorsimilartodirectjobseekers

towardstheexit

May

be: e

valu

atio

n fo

rms

to b

e fil

led

by jo

b se

eker

s

Orientation of job seekers

Job

seek

ers

re

ceiv

e or

ient

atio

n on

wor

k et

hics

Star

ting

ever

y 30

m

ins

ab/b

c

2 em

ploy

-m

ent o

ffice

rs

spec

ializ

ed in

or

ient

atio

n

Ass

igne

d ar

ea w

ith 1

5 ch

airs

, 2 p

in-

boar

ds &

mov

ie s

cree

n Inform

ationbrochures&leaflets

Etc.

27

Annex B: Sample of a Component Planning

28

Annex C1: Sample Flyer

29

Annex C2: Sample Roll-up

30

Annex C3: Sample Facebook Post

31

Annex D1: Job Seeker Registration Form (Hardcopy)

32

33

Annex D2: Employment Fair Registration Form (Company Form)

34

Annex E1: Employment Fair Monitoring Sheet

35

36

Annex E2: Employment Fair Job Seeker Monitoring Sheet

37

38

39

Annex E3: Employment Fair Company Monitoring Sheet

40

41

42

Annex E4: Employment Fair Outreach and Logistics Monitoring Sheets

43

44

45

46

Annex F: Employment Fair Evaluation Form (for businesses)

47

48

Annex G: Nomination Card

49