July 21, 2025
Silatech's Implementation Pathways
Employment
Silatech works with its partners to place young people in meaningful employment and career building jobs by adequately equipping them with the skills needed to enter the labor market, upskilling them to gain a competitive advantage, and linking them with employers. Silatech aims to bridge the gap between young people's skills and the labor market's needs to support the employment of youth in high-demand industries.
- Train-to-Place
- Train-to-place programmes offer youth training and employment placement programmes, typically tailored to specific industries or sectors. These encompass the development of soft skills, employability skills, as well as technical and vocational expertise based on job market requirements that are derived from available and committed job opportunities.
- Direct Placement
- Direct placement mechanisms, such as job fairs and networking events, which swiftly match individuals with suitable jobs. This supports in bypassing lengthy recruitment processes by enabling direct interactions between employers and job seekers based on qualifications and networking connections.
- Job Matching
- Job matching via job portals facilitates the alignment of job seekers' skills with available positions, optimizing recruitment processes for both employers and candidates.
- Self-employment & Freelancing
- Supporting youth's income generation projects in multiple sectors. This also includes virtual and non-virtual freelancing job placement. Activities are designed to ensure the success of youth income generation projects and freelancing pathways, which includes freelancing specific training, and equipping youth with the required tools and access to platforms, networks, and services.
Enterprise Development
Silatech empowers young entrepreneurs to start, sustain, or expand their income generation activities and businesses through training, guidance, liaising, and facilitating access to financial services. Silatech works with financing and micro-financing institutions to extend their lending portfolio towards un/under- bankable youth through partial credit guarantee schemes and risk sharing mechanisms that facilitate access to finance for youth to place them into self-employment and help them expand and therefore create additional employment for other youth in their communities.
- Guarantee Fund
- Partial risk sharing of loan defaults to encourage MFIs and finance creditors to give access to finance to beneficiaries who are aiming to start or sustain their income generation projects/businesses.
- MSME Incubation
- MSME Incubation includes incubation and support activities designed to ensure the success of startups and sustaining MSMEs and youth projects, including training and mentorship.
Silatech's Employment and Self-Employment Definitions
- Medium Term Employment: Employment of 3-12 months, working 20+ hours/week, earning above the minimum wage in the country of employment
- Sustainable Employment: Employment of a minimum of 12 months, working 20+ hours/week, earning above the minimum wage in the country of employment
- Self-Employment: Leading an income generating activity for a minimum of 6 months as a result of receipt of a loan/ grant through the project
- Self-Employed Freelancer: Freelancer with the tools/means and training in specialized highly requested freelancing services, with access to the right platform to offer his/her services for a minimum of one month
Project Impact
Silatech considers projects that aim to deliver large-scale youth placement into employment and self-employment for youth. It is important to have a clearly identified target sector(s) and a fit for purpose mechanism of employment or self-employment placement, including through training, linkages to the private sector, access to finance, mentorship, or guidance support.
Project Duration
Project implementation is required to be completed over 1-3 operational years. Silatech considers project renewals depending on the project context, as well as developing second phases of successful programs.
Financial Considerations
- Co-funding: For funding support to be catalytic, EAA co-funds or contributes up to 50% of the project budget. Partners can contribute through their own resources or solicit co-financing to cover their contribution.
- Results-based financing: Silatech's co-funding is results-based in terms of youth employed/self- employed through the project. Various activities may be undertaken as part of the project execution and youth capacity building (including training, access to market, access to finance, etc.) leading to employment/self-employment, which may be included and co-funded by Silatech. However, milestone payments will be directly linked to youth employed/self-employed during the period.
Criteria used to screen incoming Expressions of Interest (EOI):
| Criteria | Description |
|---|---|
| Potential Impact | Large-scale programs employment and self-employment programs that have the potential to reach thousands of young people over a period of up to three years. |
| Cost Effectiveness | Depends on the project design and country context. To be discussed on a case-by-case basis. |
| Target Group | Youth between the ages of 18-35 years old in the Middle East and North Africa. Other geographies may be discussed on a case-by-case basis. Partner is requested to discuss the proposed country before beginning the concept note process. |
| Implementation Capacity | Successfully implemented relevant project in last three years focused on youth employment and/or self-employment. |
| Intervention Methodology | Proposed interventions focus clearly on youth employment and/or self-employment including at least 40% young women. |
| Sustainability | Strong likelihood that impact will continue beyond the life of the project. |
| Strong link with country's national labour and employment strategy. | |
| Co-funding | ≥ 50% co-funding committed per year with plans for future co-funding. |
In addition to the above criteria, kindly ensure that all sections of the EOI are completed and have sufficient information.
EOI Submission
Please fill in all fields in the Silatech EOI Template and submit to Silatech via email to silatechprogram@eaa.org.qa.
All subsequent queries to Silatech about the EOI should be directed through the same email address.
