TOY - Trainers Online for Youth
This is a reference for Michael Gendy
This intensive 7-day training aimed to bridge the employability gap for vulnerable youth, including refugees and asylum seekers in the Euro-Mediterranean region. It addressed critical needs in career readiness, intercultural workplace competence, and access to informal job markets. The activity directly supported British Council Egypt's strategic pillars: youth employment, active citizenship, and intercultural dialogue, by equipping participants with actionable tools to navigate complex labor landscapes.
The activity brought together 25 young participants from diverse Euro-Mediterranean backgrounds, including Egyptian youth and refugee/asylum-seeking participants from multiple countries of origin. This intentional mix fostered peer learning across cultures, languages, and displacement experiences, creating a rich environment for intercultural skill-building and inclusive career development.
The programme relied exclusively on non-formal learning methods: simulation exercises (workplace scenarios, interview role-plays), World Café dialogues on career pathways, structured peer coaching circles, and gamified career mapping. SALTO ETS competence tools were integrated for self-assessment and learning validation, ensuring a competence-based, participant-centred approach aligned with European youth work standards.
84% of participants secured paid volunteer positions, part-time work, full-time employment, or remote work opportunities within the follow-up period. Participants reported strengthened confidence in job-search strategies, CV preparation, and intercultural communication.
As Lead Trainer, I was responsible for the end-to-end design, implementation, and delivery of the training. This included conducting pre-training needs assessments, developing session plans aligned with SALTO ETS competencies, facilitating all core modules, managing group dynamics in a diverse setting, and coordinating post-training follow-up to track employment outcomes.
I confirm that Michael Gendy served as Lead Trainer for our 7-day intensive "Skillful" programme, designed to equip 25 young participants including refugees and asylum seekers from diverse Euro-Mediterranean backgrounds with essential job market competencies.
Michael took full ownership of the training lifecycle, from initial needs assessment and curriculum design to facilitation and post-programme follow-up. He expertly applied non-formal learning methodologies, and SALTO ETS-aligned career mapping, ensuring an inclusive, competence-based approach.
His delivery directly advanced British Council Egypt’s strategic priorities in youth employability, active citizenship, and intercultural dialogue, demonstrating exceptional facilitation and training skill, cultural sensitivity, and commitment to measurable impact. I fully endorse his capabilities as a youth trainer and confirm his role without reservation.