Aix-Marseille University hosted a seminar under the EUSEEDS project, bringing together the Agence Universitaire de la Francophonie (AUF), the five other project partners, Center for Social Innovation (CSI, Cyprus), Enroot (Egypt), Jordan Youth Innovation Forum (JYIF, Jordan), Forward MENA (FM, Lebanon) and Palestine Information and Communication Technology Incubator (PICTI, Palestine), and representatives of 22 of the 24 project’s beneficiary universities from Cyprus, Egypt, Jordan, Lebanon, and Palestine.
The field seminar marked an important milestone in the development of a regional network of university employability centers. Through peer learning, practical exchanges and engagement with the local entrepreneurial ecosystem, the mission aimed to strengthen the capacities of EUSEEDS centers, constitute a regional network and prepare the next stages of their activities, with a shared commitment to improving young people’s employability and supporting their entrepreneurial initiatives.
A programme focused on skills, inclusion and entrepreneurship
The working sessions covered several key areas:
- Networking and peer learning: Sharing experiences among beneficiary universities, identifying common challenges and exploring solutions together with AUF and the project partners.
- Piloting university employability centers: Concluding the first phase of the capacity building activity led by AMU.
- Discovering the EUSEEDS platform and the digital tool developed by PICTI to support student training and employability.
- Identifying the skills requested by employers and preparing upcoming training programs in digital and soft skills with FM and JYIF.
- Inclusion and supporting vulnerable groups through dedicated digital training with CSI and identifying vulnerable population with PICTI.
- Monitoring, Evaluation, and outreach: Strengthening participants’ understanding of monitoring, evaluation and learning while exploring ways to increase the visibility and outreach of EUSEEDS with AUF.
- Connecting with Aix-Marseille-University’s entrepreneurial ecosystem to explore local partnerships and opportunities to support student entrepreneurs.
- Developing university entrepreneurship support: Presenting the next steps to help beneficiary universities strengthen their entrepreneurship support, including developing a framework for student entrepreneur status with AUF, establishing an entrepreneurship hub with AMU, and training trainers to set up pre-incubation programs within universities, with a support from Enroot.
The exchanges provided an opportunity for project partners and beneficiary universities to share experiences, identify common challenges and coordinate their approaches to delivering tailored support to young people.
Preparing the next steps
The partner’s mission concluded with a project Steering Committee meeting, bringing together the EUSEEDS consortium to review the project’s progress, assess implementation challenges and discuss the priorities and actions for the next phase. The discussions provided an opportunity to align partners’ efforts, address emerging challenges and define a shared roadmap to advance the project’s objectives across the five participating countries.
Building on the foundations established during the first year, EUSEEDS is now preparing for the operational launch of its 24 university employability centers in Cyprus, Egypt, Jordan, Lebanon and Palestine. These centers will serve as key hubs for developing young people’s digital, soft and entrepreneurial skills, strengthening their employability and supporting their entrepreneurial initiatives, with additional attention to vulnerable groups. This next phase will translate the project’s collaborative groundwork into concrete support and opportunities for students across the region.
About EUSEEDS Project
EUSEEDS (Enable, Upgrade and Spread Employability, Entrepreneurship and Digital Skills) aims to strengthen young people’s employability and entrepreneurial capacities across the Eastern Mediterranean by equipping universities with the tools, skills and resources to provide tailored support to students and vulnerable groups.
Its activities focus on four complementary pillars: strengthening university employability centers, developing students’ digital and soft skills, improving digital skills among vulnerable populations, and fostering student entrepreneurship.
Led by AUF Middle East, EUSEEDS brings together seven partners across six countries and supports a network of 24 beneficiary universities in Cyprus, Egypt, Jordan, Lebanon and Palestine. Co-funded by the European Union under the Interreg NEXT MED Programme, the project has a total budget of approximately €2.8 million, including nearly €2.5 million in EU funding (89%).
Next Med
