Lebanon has long been suffering from a worrying level of poverty: over time, a high unemployment rate, caused mainly by the poor efficiency of the training system and exacerbated by the recent influx of refugees, made the social economic problems that are less and less accessible.
According to UNHCR, Syrian refugees in the country are about 1.2 million, almost 25% of the population. With the “no-camp” policy, refugees are spread over 1,700 different locations and the perception of unequal distribution of aid has led to growing resentment among the Lebanese in difficulty, as well as a decline in social stability between the two populations.
For these reasons, in Lebanon we work to strengthen the perspectives and opportunities, both of refugees and of host communities, on local labor market, to promote social and economic inclusion.
In support of this strategy, the “Inclusive Strategies for Sustainable Training: Strengthening Resilience of Refugees and Hosting Communities in Lebanon” project sees us at the side of the Chamber of Commerce, Industry and Agriculture of Beirut and Mount Lebanon (CCIABML) , the National Employment Office and the Association of Lebanese Industrialists, to extend and strengthen access to the labor market in the country, through the matching between demand and supply of specialized work.
By cooperating with these stakeholders on the territory, we conducted an analysis of the industrial market in the Mount Lebanon region – project pilot area – to obtain a picture of the economic situation and highlight the actual skills gaps.
The results of this study will converge in the development of a data management system (DMS), which will be used to better support the Lebanese market and its actors.
In other words, the DMS will be the database of a mobile job matching application, aimed at all job seekers and entrepreneurs of the Mount Lebanon Governorate.
The 200 beneficiaries of the Intervention (140 Lebanese and 60 Syrians, with particular attention to young people between 16 and 28 years old and women), will be given the opportunity to participate in specific training courses for employment in the industrial sector and , to the best 100, to carry out a period of paid internship in local companies.
The project “VEEP: Inclusive Strategies for Sustainable Training: Strengthening Resilience of Refugees and Hosting Communities in Lebanon” is financed by the Italian Agency for Development Cooperation and implemented in partnership with the Lebanese NGO, Public Interest Design (PID).