Ministry of Manpower organizes a job fair for people with disabilities at CIB

Ministry of Manpower, in cooperation with CIB, participated today, in the opening of the first employment forum for people with disabilities in all governorates of Egypt, providing 100 different job opportunities in the banking and financial services sector, under the sponsorship of the Ministry and several other ministries and entities.

The forum's activities began today, Tuesday, from 9:00 AM and will continue until 5:00 PM at a hotel in Cairo.

This initiative is in line with the directives of the Minister of Labor, Hassan Shehata, in collaboration with all partners, to integrate people with disabilities into the labor market by providing suitable job opportunities and training opportunities to qualify them for these positions.

The forum included opening speeches, with Heba Ahmed, the Director-General of the General Employment Department at Ministry of Manpower, speaking on behalf of Minister Hassan Shehata.

She emphasized the importance of organizing such forums to provide more job opportunities for people with disabilities, in line with the principles of social dialogue and engagement with all development partners, as established in the new republic led by President Abdel Fattah El-Sisi.

Heba Ahmed also expressed gratitude to CIB's team for their efforts in providing job opportunities for people with disabilities, aligning with the Ministry of Labor's policy and the directives of the political leadership to integrate this category into society and the labor market, giving special importance to them.

She noted that since Minister Hassan Shehata assumed office last year, the labor directorates in the governorates have been tasked with the policy of identifying, training, and employing people with disabilities. As a result, they successfully identified more than 17,000 out of 24,000 establishments.

This was achieved through job fairs and communication with private sector companies, resulting in the employment of more than 11,000 young people with disabilities since January 2023.

Furthermore, the Ministry has allocated a portion of its free vocational training plans for this category to train them in skills required by the job market, through 75 fixed and mobile vocational training centers operated by the ministry under the "Decent Life in the Neediest Villages" and "Your Profession, Your Future" initiatives.

The Ministry also coordinates with private sector companies to provide job opportunities for people with disabilities, with a focus on seriousness, credibility, and follow-up through the ministry's specialized department.

The Director-General conveyed a message from the Minister of Labor to young people with disabilities, encouraging them to work in the private sector, engage in self-employment and small projects, and change their mindset to value work.

The opening ceremony also featured a speech by Hussein Abaza, the Chief Executive Officer and Managing Director of Commercial International Bank (CIB), who welcomed the presence of government officials and participants with disabilities.

Abaza emphasized that each person has strengths that can be developed to reach their goals. He mentioned that CIB organized training sessions in the past, resulting in the employment of 60 young people, some of whom found jobs within the bank. He wished success to the forum's activities.

Sherif Lokman, Sub-Governor for Financial Inclusion at the Central Bank of Egypt, also delivered a speech, thanking the bank for its invitation and organization.

He noted that the initiative's idea was not found today but was developed over the past year, with training courses for people with disabilities conducted in collaboration with the bank's team. These courses significantly enhanced their skills and provided them with genuine rights in terms of work and learning. Following CBE's instructions, all Egyptian banks prepared their branches to be suitable for providing services to all segments of society.

Lokman concluded by highlighting the importance of monitoring the results of this initiative and seeking further development, aiming to replicate the experience in other banks and sectors, emphasizing the importance of education before work, not only in the banking sector but in other sectors as well, to enable this category to contribute to development through their determination and ambition.

In conclusion, at the end of the forum's opening activities, representatives of the Central Bank of Egypt and were honored for their diligent efforts in supporting people with disabilities and enabling their positive participation in society.

Several success stories of employees with disabilities at CIB were also showcased, with messages to participants emphasizing the importance of diligence and perseverance in achieving their dreams and aspirations.

A tutorial on how to write a resume, how to succeed in a personal interview, and a realistic model of a personal job interview were organized by the bank's Human Resources department during the forum throughout the day.