Agreement Signed between TAG-Org and UNDP

Accord will combat unemployment among university graduates

DAMASCUS --- October 16, 2008 --- A cooperation agreement was signed today by Mr. Talal Abu-Ghazaleh, chairman and CEO of Talal Abu-Ghazaleh Organization (TAG-Org), and United Nations Development Program (UNDP) Syria Resident Coordinator Mr. Ismail Ould Cheikh Ahmed at the UNDP office in Damascus.

The cooperation agreement aims to support a project that establishes a professional guidance center, being executed by Damascus University under the leadership of its President Dr. Wa?el Mualla, in collaboration with the Ministry of Social Affairs and the UNDP.

The agreement includes a monetary and technical contribution through which the center will be provided with computers for training, in addition to expertise and technical consultations by TAG-Org. To assist in achieving its desired results, the UNDP will handle and supervise these contributions.

The aforementioned project aims to combat unemployment among university graduates, support the labor force and maintain balance between the universities? output and the requirements of the private and public labor markets. It also aims to make Damascus University more integrated with the needs of the labor market

The center, to be launched in 2009, will offer services to senior students and recent graduates, and will create strong relations between these students and graduates on the one hand and the Ministry of Social Affairs on the other. It will assist employment offices in the aforementioned areas relating to the employment of university graduates, and will ensure the provision of information, guidance and hands-on training that will support the students? endeavors when searching for job opportunities. One of the most important outcomes of the project is connecting the labor market with the universities.