FAO & ILO partnering to Strengthen Lebanese Agriculture TVET System to Ensure Decent Work for Youth and Women

In the context of strengthening the agricultural Technical and Vocational Education and Training (TVET) system in Lebanon, the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) and the International Labour Organization (ILO) joined forces to enhance the agricultural TVET system in Lebanon. A four-day training on “Strengthening the Lebanese TVET system’s orientation toward Decent Work for youth and women” was designed and delivered by the International Training Centre of the ILO (ITC-ILO) in Beirut. 

Forty teachers and management staff from the Extension and Education Services (EES) and technical schools of the Ministry of Agriculture took part in the training that was held in March 2020. Selected partnering NGOs and other development partners also participated in the training workshop. 

“At first, we thought that the training will only cover topics related to decent work and gender,” said Haifa Jaafar, Head of Agricultural Education and Training at MoA. However, she added that she learned how to overcome barriers to the participation of women and persons with disabilities through carefully designed policy interventions.

Participants in the workshop were trained on identifying ways of improving career guidance services in the TVET institutions and other public employment services. The training also offered participants the opportunity to gain knowledge on key concepts and benefits of social inclusion in TVET for women and persons with disabilities. They also learned how to overcome existing barriers to the participation and access of women and persons with disabilities through carefully designed policy interventions.

Mr. Ali Moussawi, Director of the Nasriyet Rizk Agricultural School, in the Bekaa, said that the training was helpful and interactive and constituted an opportunity to share worldwide experiences. “It showed us the real challenges that the agricultural education sector is facing and offered us new ideas and techniques,” he said. “The training also helped us discover the different elements that can orient agriculture and TVET into decent work for youth, women, and persons with disabilities,” he added.

The workshop was organized within the framework of FAO’s project titled “Upgrading the technical agriculture education system in Lebanon”, funded by the Kingdom of the Netherlands, and implemented in partnership with MoA, UNICEF, ILO, AVSI Foundation and WARD company.