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Poor education, unemployment and the promise of skills: The hegemony of the “skills mismatch” discourse

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  • Adely, Fida Issa J.
  • Mitra, Ankushi
  • Mohamed, Menatalla
  • Shaham, Adam

Abstract

Development discourse frames youth in the Arab world as lacking in the skills needed for employment and educational institutions as failing. The “skills mismatch” is offered as both the reason for unemployment, and evidence of the poor quality of education in the region. This paper undertakes a genealogy of the skills mismatch discourse, tracing how it became central to education development policy with a focus on Jordan.

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  • Adely, Fida Issa J. & Mitra, Ankushi & Mohamed, Menatalla & Shaham, Adam, 2021. "Poor education, unemployment and the promise of skills: The hegemony of the “skills mismatch” discourse," International Journal of Educational Development, Elsevier, vol. 82(C).
  • Handle: RePEc:eee:injoed:v:82:y:2021:i:c:s0738059321000341
    DOI: 10.1016/j.ijedudev.2021.102381
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    References listed on IDEAS

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