Despite a strong education system, unemployment in Tunisia is high, especially among female graduates. One reason for this is a lack of knowledge and life skills around which career to pursue. Additionally, and although Tunisia has implemented significant changes in its constitutional, legislative, and policy framework to promote gender equality and eliminate gender-based discrimination, the labour market doesn’t reflect this, and women constitute only a quarter of the workforce, facing an unemployment rate that is twice that of men.

The TUI Futureshapers programme in Tunisa builds the capacity of 60 female mentors, enabling them to deliver mentoring sessions to 520 young Tunisian females aged between 18 – 28.  

The peer-to-peer mentoring sessions cover a range of essential life skills necessary for success in both personal and professional spheres. Additionally, participants gain access to a series of online webinars led by well-established entrepreneurs, covering topics such as creating a business model, marketing strategies, pitching an idea and tourism innovation. 

A highlight of the programme is an exciting entrepreneurship competition, where participants showcase their learning and present their entrepreneurial ideas and projects. This competition is the culmination of the programme, with participants pitching their projects to a distinguished panel of judges. Winners receive recognition for their innovative ideas and access to seed funding and ongoing support to transform their visions into thriving ventures, so that six new female-led social enterprises are established and supported in Tunisia.