Germany, Palestine sign agreements supporting labor market-oriented TVET and higher education

RAMALLAH, Under the auspice of Prime Minister Mohammed Shtayyeh, two agreements worth 11 million euros were today signed on German–Palestinian Development Cooperation between the German Representative, Oliver Owcza, and the Minister of Foreign Affairs, Riyad Malki. Both sides partner to increase qualified employability of young Palestinians and equip them with the tools to meet the demand of the labor market, according to a press release.

The signing ceremony was attended by the Ministers of Labor, Education and Higher Education as well as the Directors of the newly established TVET Commission and the GIZ (Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit).

The first project will continue and expand the Dual Studies program that has been implemented with Al Quds University in East Jerusalem since 2015. The Project tackles the extremely high unemployment rate among university graduates by bringing the private sector in and providing tailored higher education according to the needs of future employers.

Amongst the graduates of the first two Dual Study cohorts, around 60% have found a job immediately after their graduation despite the Corona situation, many of them with the companies they have been trained in. The additional funding will allow to replicate the successful project with an additional university in the West Bank and improve the framework conditions for quality assurance and broad implementation of employment-oriented dual study programs in Palestine.

As for the second project, it plays a vital role in supporting the Palestinian Technical and Vocational Education and Training (TVET) system. The project focuses on capacity development of the in-company trainers and teaching personnel, as well as the cooperation between schools and workplaces as learning spaces and raising the attractiveness of TVET programs through enhanced quality. The project will be working closely with the newly established TVET Commission.

“Germany stands strongly with us,” said Prime Minister Shtayyeh. “This is not the first agreement, and we are pleased that European and German support for Palestine continues to strengthen its institutions for the establishment of the Palestinian state and end the occupation.”

“Modern vocational training and market-oriented higher education that meet the continuously changing requirements of the private sector will significantly contribute to new income and employment perspectives for the young,” Owcza, the German Representative, stated at the occasion of the signing. “The German government has emphasized the importance of linking education to the needs of the economy and has strongly and continuously supported technical training, labor market policies and employment as focal areas of German-Palestinian cooperation. Since 25 years, German experiences of the model of Dual System have been successfully influencing the Palestinian approach despite difficult circumstances,” he continued.

The Palestinian Authority has prioritized increasing enrolment in TVET centers to counter unemployment and bridge the supply-demand gap in the labor market. With the creation of the TVET Commission, an important step towards a unified TVET system was taken, said the press release.

Source: Palestinian News & Info Agency

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