Given the current situation and the key policy challenges in human capital development in Lebanon, it has become clear that the current positive political situation presents an opportunity to advance much needed difficult reforms. It is also clear that the quality of education and training needs to be substantially improved to tackle the high unemployment rate among young people and that the private sector should play a more active role both in supply of education and training and linking with the labour market.

The ETF’s intervention strategy in Lebanon is based on this analysis and focuses on four core themes, in which the ETF will address the quality of education and training, employability and the involvement of social partners in terms of capacity building as well as the establishment of partnerships and pathways between the different education sub-sectors and the labour market (entrepreneurial learning, national qualification framework projects and e-learning) and analysis and evidence-based policy making (the Torino process and Education and Business study).

This strategy is based on the guidelines set out in the ETF’s Mid-term Perspective for 2010-13, which are mirrored in the  Work Programme and build on the achievement of the objectives set by the EU in its support to the country taking into account the major challenges identified above.

The ETF mid-term strategy in Lebanon will build be fine-tuned and adapted to the priorities set up by the European Union through support to requests for the reform of education, training and employment policies.