Executive Summary in English

A. Organization of the Workshop

· Introduction

In implementation of UNESCO’s Programme and budget for 1996-1997, UNESCO Regional Office - Beirut, in cooperation and coordination with the Jordan National Commission for UNESCO and the Vocational Training Corporation - Jordan, organized the Workshop on Enhancement of Learning and Training Opportunities for Youth in the Arab States, Amman 2-4 March 1997 at Jerusalem International Hotel.

The goal of this programme is to enhance different learning and training opportunities for marginalized youth, especially those not going to schools or training centres. Youth groups living in post war conflicts, or countries suffering from social, economic and political rapid changes.

This programme is in coordination with the following UNESCO’s activities: Education for the 21st Century, The International Project on TVE (UNEVOC), Youth and Social Development.

· Objectives:

The objectives of the project on Enhancement of Learning and Training Opportunities for Youth in the Arab States are as follows:

- Starting the implementation of Pilot projects pertaining to marginalized youth in selective Arab Countries, i.e. Algeria, Egypt, Lebanon, Yemen, and Gaza and West Bank.

- Selecting advanced curricula in continuous education and training to acquire experiences and skills, with regard to the needs of the labour market and to initiate Projects.

- Insure samples of educational materials to guide the teachers and trainers in the field of teaching and training of the marginalized youth groups.

A group of the UNEVOC Centres in the Arab States was selected to prepare national studies pertaining to specification of training needs for marginalized youth and suggestions for adequate working plans. A specific workshop was held to develop the studies into national and regional action plans in cooperation with consultants and specialists from International and Regional Organizations and representatives of the private sector.

The national studies on the specification of the training needs of the selective countries had emphasized on the analysis of the current situation, methods of planning programmes and activities, the implementation procedures, cost and

The participants reviewed the provisional agenda of the workshop and the round table which were distributed earlier by UNESCO. The provisional agenda was discussed and amended in the light of the comments.

The participants in the workshop were (25) experts and specialists representing: Jordan, Algeria, Iraq, Egypt, Lebanon, Yemen, Palestinian Authority, UNESCO, UNRWA, CARE Organization. Also, there were representatives of the private sector, enterprises and industries of Jordan: Electricity of Jordan, Amman Chamber of Industry, Phosphate Jordanian enterprise, Cimentry enterprise.

· Closing Session:

Dr. El-Masri participated in this session and Mr. Ali Nasrallah, President of the Workshop summarized the themes and the topics of the discussions made.

Mr. Mohamad Houdeib, General Rapporteur of the workshop read the recommendations and the results presented by the drafting committee, adequate to the sessions and discussions.

Mrs. Louloua Al Khalifa, General Rapporteur of the round table read the decisions and recommendations of the round table.

Then Mr. Mazen Joumaa launched the project officially, and specified the categories of persons targeted in the project (unemployed, workers willing to change their work or to be promoted or to acquire more skills, the newly employed, the unemployed women, etc.).

Also, he stressed the importance of the finance in the program planning of the project, he called for the support of the Arab Organizations specialized in Education and professional training and for their assistance in their missions.

The president of the meeting appreciated the Minister’s presence and participation, and thanked the participants for their efforts and collaboration.

Mr. Rouchdi Zahran acknowledged in the name of the participants, HE the Minister of Education for his participation, the president of the workshop and his Bureau for the organization of the working sessions and the efforts made to make this meeting successful.

Mr. Sulieman thanked the Minister and all the participants, also, the General Rapporteur of the workshop and the drafting committee for their effort to prepare the final report.

B. Working Sessions and Discussions

First working session: Sunday, 2 March 1997

Topic: Needs assessment of training skills.

At the beginning of the session, Mr. Ali Nasrallah welcomed the participants. Then, Mr. Suleiman Suleiman, representative of the UNESCO Regional Office - Beirut, explained the aim of the project to reinforce and promote new technologies to learning and to the professional training of youth, and more precisely, the execution of the project in the Arab Member States during a period of 6 years, with initiation phase during 1996-1997 budget. This project is directed towards the marginalized young generation due to social, economic and sometimes political circumstances.

Participating Member States experiences can be summarized as follows:

· Algeria:

Mr. Abdel Kader Al-Hachimi explained the Algerian experience and talked about the insufficiency in professional training in respect to the great number of learners, and the necessity of professional training and recycling for the people in the rural area who represent half of the society, and who can not progress by their own.

· Egypt:

The Egyptian experience was presented by Mr. Rouchdi Zahran. He declared that the success was limited to 50% of the students (1.7 million students) and the remaining half was faced with unemployment and a lot of other problems in the programmes. Also, He talked about the “Transfer Education” which will make learning easier and will permit its progress depending on the market needs.

· Iraq:

The Iraqi experience was presented by Mr. Saad Abdel Rahim who explained the affiliation principles and treating procedures, and the training in relation to capacities, qualifications and technical potentials.

· Jordan:

The Jordanian experience was initiated by the speech of Mr. Ahmad Chedid on the levels of workers and training, and the importance of being aware of what is newly happening in the field of work. Also, the continuous modification and modernization of the programmes, and the analphabetisation of women.

· Lebanon:

Mr. Khalil Haddad stated the Lebanese experience and stressed on the importance of professional training in the terms of supply-demand to diminish the increasing number of unemployed instructors, and noted the need of Lebanon in the training of nurses, specifying the presence of 12000 doctors and 4000 nurses. Also he mentioned insufficiency in the Hotel sector and mechanics, and exposed the plan prepared by the Minister concerned. At the end of his speech, he pointed out the necessity of making the programmes easier and more flexible with a strong base in order to adapt them in the progressed labour market.

· Yemen:

Mr. Mohamad Ahmad Mozfer expressed the Yemeni experience. They suffer from unemployment and the incapacity for integrating the Yemenis after the Gulf war, also he emphasized on varying the domain of professional training and learning and discussing the problem of ADEN who suffers from insufficient trainers.

Mr. Joumaa determined the training needs as follows:

- The human needs,
- Centers and schools,
- Equipments,
- Costs.

· Gaza and West Bank:

Mr. Mazen Al Hachwa stated the Palestinian needs and training procedures, where the market does not absorb the man power due to very small number of investments. The result is the orientation of 50% of workers to the service sector.

At the end of the session, Mr. M. Joumaa UNESCO’s Consultant, raised the problem of the marginalized youth in society, stressing on the collaboration of the private sector, Professional organizations and Unions in the finance of training.

Second working session: Monday, 3 March 1997 Topic:

Programme and Projects planning

At the beginning of this session, Mr. Nasrallah, president of the workshop declared that the needs are numerous but the aim is to find a minimum of common points in the projects to be accepted and remunerative to all countries.

Then, Mr. Rouchdi Zahran, briefed the domains of the programmes and projects which aim at assuring work occasions to marginalized people away from teaching, and the possibility of giving them scholarships or loans to start a professional career.

Types of training projects were elaborated by the participants in these fields:

- Sewing and making of clothes.
- Constructions.
- Agriculture.
- New technologies.
- Hotels and tourism.
- Crafts and commerce.
- Creation of small projects.
- Productive business, Sciences.

The second stage of this session was centered on the costs and the sources of finance; The participants concluded that the training costs are much higher than the costs of academic education and that the government should essentially participate on the side of other sectors like the sector of business, the unions, the international organizations and the dual collaboration between countries. The participants proposed imposing taxes for the professional training, the foundation of banks to finance these activities and cutting a certain percentage of the salaries in favor of the professional training as a possible solution to diminish the costs.

Third Working Session: Monday 3 March 1997

Topic: Action Plan and mechanisms of implementation.

This session mostly treated the utilization of the ways found in schools and centres, and the possibility of gaining profit of the existing potentials for the execution and the legislation.

For the mechanism of implementation, they all insisted on the necessity of a better investment of existed equipments in the specialized centres relating them to other centres, to insure a certain logistic for the execution.

Finally, the participants suggested the creation of an orientation directive committee in the arab world and of local working groups (at a national level).

The second part of the third session: Tuesday 4 March 1997.

Examples of projects were presented by the representatives of the private sector, then there were the presentation of types of projects already done in the frame of the workshop such as:

- Industrial/Service project;
- Tourist project;
- Shoes and leather industry; and
- Agricultural project.

The fourth working session: Tuesday, 4 March 1997

Topic: Collaboration and coordination in implementation of programmes and projects.

The discussion was centered on the cooperation and coordination between the public and private sectors regarding the execution of the projects related to marginalized youth, and the role of the government and non-government organizations, associations, unions, syndicates, societies and factories in the frame of the training and the creation of new working occasions.

As an example, they presented the experience of CARE International, Jordan in the implementation of training Project for unemployed youth in Zarka Area (Jordan).

This project consists of three phases:

1 - Integration of the association and permanent evaluation model at work.
2 - Preparation for studies on small projects.
3 - Professional training.

Local associations and International organizations collaborated in the execution of this project which succeeded in assuring work for a part of the youth.

Other examples of national projects are:

· Training of unemployed Youth at West Area of Amman: UNRWA

Training Centre (Wadi Al-Sair) and Christian Youth Association - Amman. The target of this project is the unemployed youth at the west of Amman and is implemented in collaboration with the Training Centre of Wadi Al Sir annexed to the UNRWA.

The training is made in sessions of 3 to 6 months assuring adequate work for the youth:

- 90% work in the field of their studies.
- 5% work in a field other than their specialty.
- 5% are unemployed, looking for a job.

Knowing that the approximate cost of learning in this programme is between 500 and 700 Jordanian Dinar.

· Moubarak - Koul Project (Egypt)

The project is combining training and production in one unit, where the Egyptian government in collaboration with Federal Germany is charged to create a relation between the Teaching and training Institutes and the works in the residential and industrial modem agglomerations such as the city of 6 October, the city of 10 Ramadan, and the city of Sadat.

Then the stress was made on the role that could play the chamber of Industry and trading and the big industrial enterprises.

C. Results and Recommendations:

In the light of the discussions of the national studies presented by the participant countries and after the experiences exposed in the aim of reinforcing the favorable occasions for professional learning and training of the marginalized youth not affiliated in schools; measures and results were concluded and classed as follows:

First; training Needs: Data bases assessments.

1- Preparation of basis of information to determine the categories targeted by the learning and training programmes for the marginalized youth to precise the training domains.

2- Relating the learning and training domains to the aptitudes and tendencies of youth.

3- Identifying supply and demand in the frame of the man power in order to precise the training needs.

4- Exact determination of the training needs at the individual, foundations, and society levels in the objective of guiding and investing the work occasions and this will be done by the private sector.

5- Interest given to all fields, in a balanced manner to respond to the needs of the society.

Second: Planning of programmes and projects:

1- These projects and programmes should respond to the real needs of youth and should be developed in function of the development plan of human, social and economic resources.

2- Various recycling sessions imposed by the states should appear in these programmes.

3- Determination of the foundations and Organizations charged for the execution of these programmes.

4- These projects should contain the execution requirements including the principal components like the instructors, the programmes, the teaching and training materials, the equipments and facilities, the work evaluation media, and the systems of supervision and business...

5- Adoption of pilot-projects which will be developed in the future.

6- Putting a schedule for long, short and medium term for the execution of the projects.

7- Creation of good relations between the training responsibles, the business men and the work syndicates for the exchange of experiences and knowledge.

8- Reinforcing the productive work through the training and rehabilitation programmes, which could be financially beneficial to everybody.

9- The proposed programmes and projects should contain the following domains and specialties:

- Agriculture and nourishing industries.
- Industrial jobs.
- Tourism and traditional artisanat.
- Health career and paramedicals.
- Jobs related to services.

Third: Training costs and financing:

1- The teaching and training finance is not limited by the scholarships and the costs presented by the state. Other organizations are concerned like:

- The development and employment fund;
- The business community.
- The Unions and International Arab Organizations.

2- Determination of the projects’ costs and the value of every loan and the proposed means of finance.

3- Retrieving a percentage of the foundations’ employees salaries or of their profits (and direct them to the financing of the learning and training programmes).

- Grants, scholarships or loans will be given by the banks with a lot of facilities.
- The incoming of productive projects.
- Taking a precise ratio from the salaries of the marginalized after their employment (directed to the fund).

Fourth; Action Plan programmes and mechanisms of implementation:

1- Integration of these programmes in the learning and training institutes. These programmes should be part of the pedagogic and learning system adopted in every state.

2- In the execution of these programmes, they should refer to all the possible facilities in learning and training in the objective of diminishing the programmes’ costs and benefiting from the Network of the participating centres and institutes to the project (UNEVOC).

3- Creation of the administrative structures and systems in addition to National work groups having adequate competencies and diverse administrative and financial attributions and capable to succeed in the execution of the projects and to proceed in the planning, organization, control and the continuous supervision.

4- Revision of the legislations in process in order to give the teaching and training subjects the needed importance.

Fifth; Collaboration and coordination in implementation of projects and programmes:

1- Creation of a directive committee for the coordination between the participating Arab States in the aim of reinforcing and developing the learning and training programmes as presented in the official launching of the programme.

2- Exchange of experiences in the execution of pilot projects in the Arab States.

3- Participation of the international and regional organizations in the experience and finance taken for the execution of the learning and professional training and adaptation of the existing training programmes in order to be adequate to the needs of the concerned states.

4- Integration and participation of the private sector, the welfare organizations and the other organisms in the preparation of the programmes and methods getting profit from their technical experience.

5- Development of an information plan with objectives to make this project known to public and realization of these programmes and objectives in order to surround the youth with more socio-cultural awareness.

6- Announcing the launching of the project in the participating arab states and its generalization in all the concerned organisms at the national, regional and international levels.

Official launching of the project

Amman, 4 March 1997

According to the results and recommendations of the workshop on Enhancement of Learning and Training Opportunities for Youth in the Arab States, Amman 2-4 March 1997, and after reviewing the achievements within the project, which included 7 National need assessment studies and reports, workshop program, and UNESCO approved program on budget for 1996-1997, 28/C5, para 01128), the participating institutions and centers adopted the following:

1- Enhance the learning and training Opportunities for marginalized youth groups in the society, or for those whose circumstances hindered their educational pursuit, in the aim of finding and assuring better work opportunities, and insuring effective participation in the social and economical development.

2- Coordination between the institutions and centers concerned with the project, including UNEVOC network (National, Regional and International levels), for the implementation of the suggested programs and courses in order to achieve a high level of efficiency, and to exchange information and experiences on activities and programs.

3- Provide possible technical and financial support for the suggested activities within the project and the action plan.

4- Enhance fixed financial sources for activities, through coordination with beneficiaries, International and Regional Agencies and Organizations.

5- Assure participation and representation of the private sector and Professional Associations in designing and implementing the activities for better relationships, and generating balance between preparation and Labour Market requirements.

6- The participants emphasized on the importance of creating administrative structure, and task forces, on an appropriate level, in which all the concerned parties in Education and Training will be represented and which will have the authority to insure the success of such a project for the planning purposes, organization, follow-up.

7- A Steering Committee was formulated for 3 years (1997-1999) within the UNEVOC Regional network project in the Arab States, and this to facilitate supervision and follow-up of activities as follows:

- Mr. Ali Nasrallah, D.G., VTC - Jordan, President.
- Mr. Mazen Jommah, President, Tech. Institutes Foundation - Iraq, Member.
- Mr. Rouchdi Zahran, Sec. General, Vocational Education/MOE - Egypt, Member.
- Mr. Mohamad Al-Hazwara, Sec. General, GAVTT - Yemen, Member.
- Mr. Abdul Rahman Sawalmi, Director, VTC - Alger, Member.
- Mr. Mohamad Hoddib, Director, IPNET/MOVTE - Lebanon, Member.
- Mr. Hisham Kahil, D. G., Tech. Ed. - Palestinian Authority, Member.
- Mr. Sulieman Sulieman, Programme Specialist, TVE - UNESCO, Rapporteur.

The concerned International and Regional Organizations and Agencies, such as ILO, ALO, and AFTE will be contacted to nominate representatives for the Steering Committee of the project.