The workforce development component of USAID’s Community Support Program (CSP) developed the curriculum for Repair and Maintenance of Industrial Machinery (R&M) vocational course based on input from local industries who shared specific technical gaps and needs within the sector. The curriculum includes modules on pneumatics, hydraulics, electro-pneumatics and electro-hydraulics, mechanics of diesel generators, and electricity. On October 12, 2022, the Directorate General of Vocational and Technical Education in Lebanon (DGVTE) issued decree 358/2022 which stipulated that the curriculum for the R&M course met all the requirements for formal accreditation. While the course will not be incorporated as a technical program (e.g.: BT3 or BP2), DGVTE approved for it to be implemented as a vocational training course throughout TVETs in Lebanon.
The first cohort using the new curriculum is currently taking place at CSP’s partner TVET, Tamkeen Vocational Institute in Tripoli. Meanwhile, CSP and Tamkeen are in the process of recruiting a second cohort of applicants that are due to start in December 2022. Students enrolled within the first two cohorts of the course will benefit from the JET scholarship whereby their tuition is covered, along with a monthly stipend (including transportation) and medical insurance.
“The hands-on nature of the course is truly building my skills specific to this sector, such as electricity, mechanics and hydraulics, which will enable me to find much better employment,” stated Ousman Abass, JET scholarship recipient undertaking the R&M course at Tamkeen.