Empleo y habilidades de los jóvenes (ingl.)

The project enables 150 young women and men from three population groups to take part in a coaching cycle that teaches them basic skills to integrate into the labour market in the project areas of Tripoli and Beddawi in northern Lebanon.

In Lebanon in 2018, 950 000 Syrian refugees were registered with the UNHCR, while approximately 250 000 additional refugees from Syria are without UN registration in the country. According to the last census (2017) of the Lebanese-Palestinian Dialogue Committee (LPDC), 174 000 Palestinian refugees live in Lebanon, to which 30 000 Palestinians from Syria have added since the Syrian crisis. This makes Lebanon one of the countries in the world that has received the most refugees in relation to its own population. The living conditions of the refugees and the socially weaker are precarious and the Syrian conflict has contributed to the intensification of existing problems, such as the weak rule of law and corruption.

Society in Lebanon is fragmented and the prospects of young people depend to a large extent on their membership of the respective population group. Regardless of this, the current economic crisis is making it difficult for most young professionals, especially in areas outside the capital Beirut, to find a paid job. The quality of public vocational training is inadequate and although various training courses are offered by international and national NGOs, there is a lack of concrete measures for labour market integration.

El proyecto

The project works with the "Coaching Cycle" methodology developed by the Swisscontact C4EE project team in Albania in collaboration with the Lucerne University of Applied Sciences and Arts, which is already being successfully implemented in Eastern Europe in its tenth year. In order to promote the development of young women and men, the project is aimed at solving important obstacles such as the lack of life and professional competence of young people, a lack of information and orientation on labour market opportunities, a lack of access and appropriate services for these categories at various levels. This will be achieved by training coaches to implement the coaching cycle. The weak cooperation between state and private actors in the field of employment is also reinforced.

During the current pilot phase of the project, the coaching cycle will be adapted to the local labour market, the different (legal) conditions and the individual goals of the project participants. Young people can find out where they can best use their skills through internships in different areas. Possible occupational fields are construction, production of local specialities (agrofood) and facility services.

Swisscontact works with local partner organisations which are deeply rooted in the local communities and are dedicated with great commitment to every single participant of the project.

Project goals

1. Training coaches and young people in the world of work:
   The coaching cycle is carried out by a total of 11 trainers from two local partner organisations.
2. Successful completion: 80% of the participants from three population groups (Lebanese, Syrians & Palestinians) successfully complete the 12-month training programme.
3. Implementation of the coaching cycle: 60% of graduates integrate into the local labour market.
4. Strengthening of the local project partner: Swisscontact supports the partner organisation DROPS Community Progress in the areas of administration, accounting and project management.

Expected results