Technical Assistance for a More Practice Oriented Vocational and Technical Education in Lebanon

• Budget: € 4,249,300
• Location: Lebanon
• Date of project: February 2017 - May 2021
• Implementing Partner: Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ) GmbH / GIZ International Services 

Lebanon is a small middle-income country, with an open and largely service-oriented economy that has a long-standing and strong commercial tradition. Small and Medium Enterprises (SMEs) are the dominant form of business organization, particularly micro and small enterprises. There is also a large informal sector in the country.

Recent years have seen the proliferation of new challenges, as Lebanon is undergoing a deep political and social transformation. Meanwhile, the economy continues to shrink and employment is suffering tremendously. The Lebanese labour market is traditionally characterized by a low employment rate, large informal market, high youth unemployment and a high influx of foreign workers as well as Syrian refugees.

In the context of a stumbling economy associated with growing skills shortages and a young population seeking employment opportunities, great pressure is put on the Lebanese Vocational and Technical Education (VTE) system. The VTE system is asked not only to deliver more skills, but also to provide different skills sets based on the changing needs of the economy. Furthermore, the anticipation of the needs of the labour market through the Lebanese VTE system is rather minor. Training providers are predominantly supply-led and vocational offers do not provide adequate practical skills for employability. As a result, the private sector finds it difficult to recruit skilled young professionals, and only plays a minor role in their training.