Lebanon
As an EU agency closely collaborating with the European Commission and the EU’s External Action Service, the European Training Foundation (ETF) strives to support the European Neighbourhood Policy, which seeks to promote stability and prosperity in EU neighbouring regions. Our efforts in Lebanon aim to support the development of education and training to boost employability, increase access to opportunities and promote social cohesion. We are supporting the Delegation of the European Union to Lebanon on projects and initiatives in the field of human capital development, with a special focus on technical and vocational training.
We support the Ministry of Labour in developing capacity to facilitate the school-to-work transition and establish a national and regular employer survey. We also work with the Ministry of Education and Higher Education, the General Directorate for Technical and Vocational Training, schools and other donor organisations on the implementation of career guidance activities aiming at creating a new function of career and counsellor officers in public schools.
Lebanon is actively involved in the Torino Process, a participatory analysis of education and training systems and policies, contributing to the ongoing and future policy reforms in this field. The country also participates in ETF Forum for Quality Assurance in VET and in the UfM Regional Platform on Employment and Labour.
Read our 2024 update on Key policy developments in education, training and employment (2024). For a quick overview, see below:
2024 developments at a glance
🌎 Socio-political landscape: over the last five years, Lebanon has endured a series of acute emergencies, including the Syrian refugee crisis, the COVID-19 pandemic, the Beirut port explosion, and the conflict between Hezbollah and Israel. Together, these events have contributed to the most devastating political and socio-economic instability the country has ever seen. The new government, formed in February 2025 following two years of political paralysis, is expected to target the social and financial fragility that has impeded the country’s economic recovery;
🎓 Education challenges: Lebanon’s education system is under severe strain, with a growing shift from private to public schools due to families’ financial hardship. The fragile public system is further pressured by displacement and infrastructural challenges, with schools forced to implement a two-shift system as well as serve as shelters during the conflict with Israel. On a positive note, a shift to blended online and in-person teaching meant by December 2024, more than 886 public schools had resumed learning activities. However, ongoing teacher strikes over pay and working conditions, along with 46,000 unregistered children unable to attend school, underscore the continued disruption and declining educational outcomes across the country. The General Education Plan 2021–2025 seeks to address these challenges and promote equitable, inclusive, and resilient education for all;
🏫 Technical vocational education and training (TVET): the Directorate General for VET, in collaboration with ETF, UNICEF, ILO, IECD, and GIZ, has developed a new National Strategic Framework 2024–2029 for TVET aimed at increasing access to quality education and training. With a stronger emphasis on private sector engagement, the framework also addresses immediate needs, such as equipping all TVET schools with solar panels to ensure a reliable electricity supply;
💡Career guidance: the government has recognised the important role of career guidance in building a skilled workforce capable of supporting the country’s economic recovery. With assistance from the ETF and in collaboration with national and international partners, efforts are underway to develop a comprehensive career guidance policy to be implemented across all levels of education, starting from primary school;
💼 Labour market challenges: prolonged economic challenges—including high inflation, currency devaluation, and rising poverty—are severely affecting micro-, small-, and medium-sized enterprises (MSMEs), which make up 90% of Lebanon’s economy. Faced with growing debt, reduced demand, and an inability to pay salaries, many businesses are downsizing or closing, driving overall unemployment to 30% and nearly 50% among youth. Emigration and a large refugee workforce willing to accept poor working conditions have intensified competition in the labour market and fuelled informal employment. The Lebanon Crisis Response Plan 2017–2021 was updated in 2024 to outline targeted actions for the government and international partners to address labour market and employment challenges;
👦 👧 Youth in focus: the percentage of young people aged 15-29 not in employment, education or training (NEETs) increased to 36% in 2022, up from 15.1% in 2019, with young women disproportionately affected (43.3% compared to 28.9% young men). The youth unemployment rate also increased, from 23.3% in 2019 to 47.8% in 2024, highlighting the severe challenges young people face in accessing education and securing employment;
💻 Digital skills development: in the wake of the ongoing conflict in Lebanon, a shift towards online learning could address the complexities of delivering education, although the availability of equipment and infrastructure remains a challenge. The Director General of Education, together with the Centre of Research and Development (CERD) provided the first session of digital learning webinars for public school teachers, with 12,000 attending the first session. A new national online learning platform, Forastech, aims to provide affordable digital skills training and is endorsed by major companies like Microsoft and LinkedIn.
Priorities for 2025
👉 Ongoing developments of a national concept of Career Guidance both on TVET and general education.
👉 Support to EU programmes on education and the labour market addressing vulnerable Lebanese and displaced communities.