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VTP and Entrepreneurship Department Overview

The YMCA of Lebanon has been implementing vocational training projects since 1955, with larger interventions beginning in 1978 with funding from the USAID. The agency supported these programs for over twenty years and continues to fund YMCA projects in other areas. More recently, vocational training programs have been implemented in partnership with numerous international development agencies including the European Union, World Bank, and the governments of Australia, Finland, and Mexico.

Pilot Project on Job Readiness and Work Placement for School Dropouts

Funded by the Arab-Urban Development Institute and the World Bank in 2009, this pilot project provided accelerated vocational training services, basic life skills development and business skills enhancement for 150 at-risk youth unable to return to school on the following topics:

• Course of Photography and Photoshop: The course was held at the Nawfal Palace from 15-11-2009 to 25 February 2010. The session involved 17 participants: 9 girls and 8 young people and of the participants were of special needs. This session provided an opportunity to learn useful techniques.
• Gardening and Flower Arrangement: Session was held in Shaarany Orphanage from 4/12/2009 to 3/10/2010. The session involved 21 girls and a young man where it was highly demanded.
• Jewelry and Accessories: The course was held at the training center of the Sommoud House of Children in Beddawi. The session involved 24 women and girls from the camp population, and work is underway to facilitate the marketing by the national institution.
• Jewelry and Accessories: The course was held at the Training Centre of the Forum of the Handicapped. The session brought together 18 people - 13 girls and 5 young people from the area of Mina. This session has set up a model of social integration.
• Secretarial course and Principles of Management: The course was held at the center of the House of Children in Beddawi from 5-11- 2009 to 25-2- 2010 25 trainees 19 girls and 6 youth. The training focused on the acquisition of management skills and information on accounting and archiving with the proper use of the computer.
• Secretarial course and Principles of Management: The course was held at the Training Centre Forum of the Handicapped in North Lebanon in Mina from 1/12/2009 to 25/02/2010. 19 persons joined the session 13 women and 6 young men. The training focused on the acquisition of management skills and information on accounting and archiving with the proper use of computers, this course was suitable for social integration.
• Secretarial course and Principles of Management: This course was held at Wave Center in Kobe from 5-11- 2009 to 25-2- 2010. 13 trainees 11 girls and two teenagers joined the session.
• Business Administration: This course was held at Kabara Center in Tripoli from 5-11- 2009 to 5-2- 2010. 18 trainees 4 girls and 14 men attended this session.

Accelerated Vocational Training Program (AVTP)

Funded by the European Union, the Accelerated Vocational Training Program (AVTP) began in May 2003 and continued through April 2009. The five-year project (plus one-year extension) focused on enhancing the economic and social status of young men and women in the poorest areas of Lebanon, especially the unemployed, school drop-outs, the disabled, and the Palestinian communities. The extension period in Year 6 allowed for a larger number of activities to be performed than proposed in the log frame, thereby increasing the number of project beneficiaries.

At the end of April 2009, a total of 206 accelerated vocational training sessions (146 planned in the 2005 log frame) had been held across Lebanon’s most vulnerable regions and in accordance with the recommendations of project-based market surveys. Training topics and number of sessions are listed in the table below.

The YMCA provided follow-up to the trainings with 14 one-week sessions for attendees of the building skills (5), agricultural mechanics (6), and childcare courses (3). This was a result of the four studies and four update studies conducted as part of the project. The studies focused on the four main regions of implementation.

The YMCA also developed strong working partnerships with 91 local, national, and international organisations, helping them to provide better organised, more relevant and up-to-date training courses. The local partners (and the geographical area coordinators) provided valuable work on the ground: identifying the market needs and organizing simple needs assessments in their geographical areas. Many of these groups are now self-sufficient and implementing new projects.

Despite the unstable political and security climate in Lebanon throughout the programme (2003-2009), which caused occasional delays and/or threats to personal safety, the YMCA succeeded in implementing most of the planned project activities.

In terms of numerical targets, the YMCA surpassed its targets in terms of implemented courses and the number of beneficiaries; it provided effective training sessions that met the needs of targeted groups as well as local market demands. Finally, the project included numerous partner organizations at the local, national, and international level.

Many of the local groups expanded their capacity through implementation and are now operating their own programmes with independent funding.