In early January 2023, USAID’s Community Support Program (CSP) conducted an orientation session to launch the second cohort of the Repair & Maintenance (R&M) of Industrial Machinery vocational course at Tamkeen Vocational Institute in Tripoli. All 61 students in the cohort are benefitting from CSP’s JET scholarship which covers their tuition and provides them with a monthly stipend and medical insurance for the duration of the three-month course and subsequent internship. In turn, students are expected to complete their studies and mandatory internship, in addition to attending soft skills training to enhance their chances at finding quality employment. The R&M curriculum was developed by CSP based on input from local industries who shared specific technical gaps and needs within the sector, and consequently included modules on pneumatics, hydraulics, electro-pneumatics and electro-hydraulics, mechanics of diesel generators, and electricity. In parallel, CSP equipped several workshops at Tamkeen to enable students to gain hands-on experience and enhance their practical skills during their training. This represents the second cohort of R&M vocational training implemented at Tamkeen, benefitting a total of 96 students so far.

“The orientation session was very informative about the different components of the JET scholarship and what is expected from us during our training. I am very excited to start this course and develop my skills and capacities within this sector,” stated Alaa Seif, JET scholarship recipient undertaking the R&M vocational course at Tamkeen Institute.