Informal training initiatives create 1,800 jobs in three years

Nearly 1,800 jobs and over 1,300 new small businesses were created between 2014 and 2017 as a result of immediate employability non- formal training programs, according to the recently published International Labour Organization (ILO) report, ‘Guidelines for Non-Formal Market-Based Skills Training in Lebanon’.

Over 50,000 individuals received non-formal market-based skills training in that period, according to the report. Training was offered through some 32 partners of the Lebanon Crisis Response Plan (LCRP). Over 2,280 local businesses were involved at some level with LCRP activities, the report said.

Local demand for short term training has risen due to the Syrian refugee crisis, according to Rana Jammal, Project Manager for short vocational training in Beirut and Mount Lebanon at the European Institute of Cooperation and Development (IECD).

Formal training providers, such as universities and vocational technical institutions, cannot cope with the rapidly changing demands for short term training. Some 72 percent of training providers are from the private sector with accreditation from the Directorate General of Vocational and Technical Education (DGVTE), said the report.

Trainees are mainly youth who drop out of the formal education system or those who cannot access it, according to the Randa Badr, Deputy Chairman of Initiatives and Decisions Association, which trained 206 people in the last two years.

Training is offered in electric installation and maintenance, carpentry, plumbing, and aesthetics, Jammal said. Participants acquire a certificate at the conclusion of the training program, which takes from 1.5 to four months.

The Ministry of Social Affairs (MoSA) supports 220 Social Development Centers for short-term, informal training through NGOs.

National Employment Office (NEO) has partnered with over 40 NGOs to provide accelerated vocational training programs of 3 to 9 months period, and serves up to 1,200 trainees annually.

The report listed 21 fundamental principles to follow for ensuring an effective non-formal training program service delivery. Principles are elaborated across four components: Market analysis and identifying skills gaps, curriculum design and training implementation, pathway to employment and entrepreneurship, and monitoring and evaluation.