Palestine * 2024

Key takeaways

Access to initial VET (IVET) programmes in Palestine remains relatively smooth, especially for students entering after the tenth grade, supported by low tuition fees. However, adult participation in continuing VET (CVET) and employment service training has declined since 2023, with at-risk groups facing significant challenges. Structural barriers, such as the Tawjihi exam, limit vertical mobility, while geographic and financial obstacles and high dropout rates in three-year courses further hinder participation. Recent initiatives, including multipurpose TVET institutions and targeted scholarships, aim to address these gaps, but the absence of a National Qualifications Framework continues to impede the establishment of clear learning and career pathways.

The VET system in Palestine performs well in delivering basic skills to youth and adults, particularly in IT and literacy, aligning with green and digital transitions. Improvements in responsiveness to external needs and the integration of digitalisation have been observed since 2023, though these gains are more reflective of a decline in international averages than domestic progress. Linking VET to the labour market remains a challenge, with limited work-based learning opportunities and low employability of graduates. Curriculum reforms, industry partnerships, and labour market information systems are underway but remain underdeveloped. Digital literacy and ICT skills lag behind, exacerbated by limited access to technology and infrastructure, highlighting key areas for intervention.

Participatory governance is a strength of Palestine’s VET system, driven by active stakeholder engagement and sector skills councils. However, employer involvement remains limited. The National Commission for Technical and Vocational Education and Training has made progress since 2023, including a strategic plan and improved coordination structures. Challenges persist in quality assurance, with gaps in data availability, public accountability, and programme transparency. Material resources for teaching and learning have deteriorated since 2023, with shortages in educational materials, equipment, and infrastructure affecting instruction. While funding for VET has slightly improved, adult education remains underfunded, and international exposure for professionals and students is limited. Promising initiatives, such as the Skills Development Fund and a unified TVET database, aim to address these systemic challenges.

Access to learning

Monitoring in the area of access to and participation to learning helps countries assess the extent to which initial VET, continuing VET and other learning opportunities are accessible and attractive to all learners, regardless of their individual backgrounds or reasons for participating. The data also reflects how well learners can expect to progress through and graduate from these learning opportunities.

Opportunities for lifelong learning: access and participation

The VET system in Palestine ensures relatively smooth access to IVET programmes, particularly for students entering after the tenth grade through vocational schools, vocational units, and technical colleges. Low tuition fees support accessibility, but geographic and transportation barriers continue to hinder access for those in remote areas. Participation in CVET and employment service training has declined since 2023, particularly among at-risk groups such as older adults and women with caregiving responsibilities. This decline reflects advances in other countries, as Palestine’s performance in these areas has remained static.

Learners in Palestine benefit from relatively smooth transitions between vocational and general education tracks, surpassing international averages. However, structural barriers like the Tawjihi exam continue to restrict graduation and progression to higher education, reinforcing perceptions of VET as a dead-end path for some students. Initiatives such as multipurpose TVET institutions and expanded training schedules for adults aim to address these challenges, but the absence of a National Qualifications Framework (NQF) hinders the creation of flexible pathways for higher education and career advancement.

Dropout rates remain a concern, particularly in three-year VET programmes where repetition rates are higher than in four-year courses. Financial assistance, including scholarships from the Ministry of Higher Education and Scientific Research, has supported learners in completing their studies, with over 300 scholarships recently awarded to vocational secondary school graduates for further education in technical colleges. However, systemic reforms are needed to improve flexibility and accessibility in VET pathways.

CVET programmes face challenges related to funding, labour market relevance, and accessibility. Women, particularly those in lower-paying jobs, remain underrepresented, highlighting persistent disparities. Although scholarships and government initiatives help mitigate financial barriers, the absence of an NQF limits graduates’ ability to advance in their education or careers. Tailored solutions are needed to boost adult participation, strengthen links between education and the labour market, and enhance the relevance and attractiveness of VET for all learners.

Palestine’s VET system provides smooth access to IVET, particularly for students entering after the tenth grade, supported by low tuition fees. Geographic and transportation barriers continue to affect access, especially in remote areas. Participation in CVET and employment service training has declined, with older adults and women with caregiving responsibilities facing the greatest challenges. Learners can transition relatively easily between vocational and general education, but structural barriers such as the Tawjihi exam restrict access to higher education. Dropout rates remain high, especially in three-year VET programmes. The absence of a National Qualifications Framework limits the flexibility of learning pathways. Expanding adult participation, strengthening labour market links, and improving accessibility through systemic reforms are essential to enhancing VET’s effectiveness.

The Torino Process is a regular review of national systems of vocational education and training as well as adult education. It is designed to analyse the ways in which national VET systems (including adult education) address the challenges of human capital development in a lifelong learning perspective. It was established by the European Training Foundation (ETF) in 2010 and has been carried out in partner countries in Southeastern Europe, Turkey, Eastern Europe, Central Asia and the Southern and Eastern Mediterranean ever since.

Monitoring in the context of the Torino Process describes the extent to which countries deliver on their commitments to learners in support of their learning through life (lifelong learning - LLL) in three major areas of policy and system performance: access to learning, quality of learning, and system organisation.

Quality of learning

Quality and relevance of learning is the area of monitoring that identifies how successfully the VET system provides basic skills and key competences to both young and adult learners. It highlights the relevance of VET programmes to the world of work and how effectively VET graduates transition into the labour market. Additionally, it monitors efforts to promote excellence across key domains, including pedagogy, professional development, programme content, governance, and social inclusion, as well as the openness of the VET system to innovation in response to the evolving needs of learners and labour markets.

Lifelong learning outcomes: quality and relevance, excellence and innovation

VET in Palestine performs solidly in teaching basic skills and competences to both youth and adults. Curricula incorporate key themes for the green and digital transitions, such as IT and entrepreneurial skills, aligning with labour market needs and government priorities. However, international assessments like PISA highlight gaps in critical thinking and problem-solving, revealing a disconnect between nationally reported strengths and international benchmarks. Despite steady performance in foundational skills, ICT skills remain limited, highlighting an area for improvement.

Despite progress in integrating green and digital skills into VET programmes, the connection between the VET system and the labour market remains a challenge. Apprenticeship schemes are limited, and work-based learning (WBL) is not fully integrated into the system. While initiatives supported by Enabel have fostered partnerships between TVET institutions and companies, these efforts have not yet had widespread impact. The employability of VET graduates continues to lag behind expectations, although there have been improvements in aligning the system with societal needs.

Career guidance services are available but insufficient to meet learners’ needs. The newly developed Labour Market Information System (LMIS), designed to improve connections between education and employment, has not yet become operational due to weak stakeholder engagement. This system remains a key tool for enhancing graduate outcomes. National authorities continue to work on addressing these challenges through curriculum reforms, teacher training, and Sector Skills Councils, reflecting incremental progress.

The promotion of excellence and innovation remains a priority. Green and digital transitions are supported through adult education programmes, initiatives like “Greening TVET,” and the integration of sustainability topics. However, challenges in digital literacy persist, with limited access to digital tools constraining opportunities for disadvantaged schools. The computer-student ratio in secondary schools, averaging 1:34, highlights significant resource disparities.

Palestine’s VET system performs well in teaching foundational skills and integrating green and digital competencies but faces ongoing challenges in linking education to employment. Limited WBL opportunities, resource shortages, and insufficient career guidance hinder graduate outcomes. Authorities are addressing these issues through initiatives like the LMIS, curriculum reforms, and alignment with sustainability goals. Progress in responsiveness to learner demand and embedding green and digital transitions suggests potential for further improvement, but additional investments are needed to increase the system’s relevance and equity.

System organisation

System organisation is the area of monitoring that captures performance across various domains of management and administration. It examines whether practitioners and leaders have access to data and evidence to support informed decision-making, the level of stakeholder involvement in VET governance, the quality and capacity of staff in leadership positions, and the degree of internationalisation. Additionally, monitoring the allocation of human and financial resources to the VET system helps assess whether these resources effectively support teaching, training, and learning.

System organisation: management and resourcing

VET in Palestine benefits from a strong tradition of engaging stakeholders, particularly through the National Commission’s efforts to establish sector skills councils. However, employer involvement remains a challenge, with limited private sector participation in skills development and lifelong learning. The National Commission is addressing this gap by developing a strategic plan and coordination structures, though progress has been slow. Some improvements have been observed, but they are largely due to a decline in performance from other countries, rather than significant national advancements.

A key challenge is the limited availability of reliable data for decision-making, hindering effective strategy development and performance evaluation. The National Commission is working to address this by establishing the MIS-TVET database, which will consolidate information and improve evidence-based decision-making. While there has been progress in data availability, Palestine’s performance in this area remains below the international average. The new system is expected to improve monitoring and management, including tracking student outcomes, resource allocation, and labour market needs.

Monitoring the quality of VET programmes also requires improvement. The Accreditation and Quality Assurance Committee has started licensing higher education institutions and developing VET standards, but reliable systems to ensure and publicly share quality results are still lacking. While there has been a slight improvement in accountability and quality assurance, transparency and public sharing of performance data remain limited. Leadership in VET is relatively strong, supported by recruitment and professional development efforts, but international exposure for VET professionals and students remains low.

Palestine’s VET system benefits from strong stakeholder engagement, particularly through the National Commission’s work with sector skills councils, though employer participation remains limited. Data availability and the ability to assess system performance are improving with the planned MIS-TVET database, but challenges in transparency and public accountability persist. Financial sustainability is a concern, with limited private sector contributions and insufficient public funding in some areas. While leadership and human resource management are strong, addressing ongoing issues such as staff shortages and resource limitations is essential for ensuring the long-term success and sustainability of the system.

Promoting access and participation in opportunities for lifelong learning

Supporting quality and relevance of lifelong learning

Index of system performance

International comparability of performance results

In addition to messages about system performance, the Torino Process monitoring delivers information about the international comparability of results of each country, the extent to which these results may be susceptible to bias, and how self-critical a country is when it reports about its policy and system performance for external monitoring purposes. This is possible because the monitoring methodology foresees keeping accurate records about the availability, origin and type of evidence used to calculate the monitoring results for each country, including Palestine.

Palestine has made significant progress in building a base of internationally comparable evidence, thanks to its participation in key international surveys such as GRALE5 of UNESCO and OECD’s PISA. These initiatives have provided valuable data on formal education, training, and adult education, improving the comparability of Torino Process monitoring outcomes of Palestine. While the monitoring results indicate a relatively lower risk of bias, it’s important to note that a large portion of the findings still relies on self-assessment responses. These suggest that Palestine rates its VET and lifelong learning systems in a balanced and neutral manner.