This ETF assessment provides an analysis based on the outcomes of the National Torino Process report of Lebanon (ETF, 2020) and other secondary sources from national and international literature. The national report was compiled under the supervision of the Ministry of Education and Higher Education (MEHE) and endorsed by the national stakeholders. A written consultation was organised in June 2020, involving Lebanese stakeholders and international donors and organisations active in VET in Lebanon.
The assessment summarises the main challenges for the development and use of human capital in the country and discusses how education (in particular VET) and labour market policies in the country are addressing them and can contribute to their resolution. The assessment process generated a high level of interest from national stakeholders as well as the international community active in skills development and employment. This augurs well for a high level of policy uptake and ownership of this analysis and related recommendations, notably potentially providing an impetus to the implementation of the National Strategic Framework and the post-2020 programming of the EU and other donors.
Within the regional policy dialogue, the findings and recommendations of the ETF Torino Process assessment provide elements to inform future regional initiatives within the Southern and Eastern Mediterranean area, as well as the ongoing discussions on post-2020 programming. The findings of this report will also feed into the current dialogue, led by the Union for the Mediterranean and the European Commission, on monitoring the progress of the 2019 Ministerial Declaration on Employment and Labour that underlines a range of issues, including the importance of reforming education and training systems in a way that responds to the challenges presented by ensuring employment, employability, and decent work[13] For the importance of investment in education, higher education and training systems, including vocational education and training (VET), as well as lifelong reskilling and upskilling of workers to prepare them for constant changes in the world of work, see Ministerial Declaration on Employment and Labour, April 2019, p. 4.
. A cross-country report will consolidate all the Southern and Eastern Mediterranean Torino process assessments' outcomes and will contribute to the monitoring and evaluation framework intended to be developed as a concrete output of the Declaration[14] The labour Ministers asked the Union for the Mediterranean (UfM) Secretariat to coordinate, with the contribution of volunteering countries, the setting up of a framework for national monitoring processes, notably by organising meetings, providing relevant information, contact making and networking, as well as cooperating with countries' stakeholders and international organisations. The Ministers invited the European Commission and the relevant EU agencies, in particular the European Training Foundation, to provide relevant expertise to this work. See the Ministerial Declaration on Employment and Labour, paragraph 29, April 2019.
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Given the very limited official and comparable data, the primary source of this assessment analysis is the Torino Process national report, using a standardised questionnaire (National Reporting Framework – NRF) and the related working groups' consultations, including national and international stakeholders, organised between July 2019 and February 2020. The secondary sources of information drawn upon are international data and publications (see the References). At the time the current report was being finalised, the Central Administration of Statistics (CAS) made available the preliminary key findings of the Labour Force and Households' Living Conditions Survey (LFHLCS; conducted in 2018/2019 with the support of the ILO and the EU Delegation) on the labour market situation. These statistics have been incorporated here to complement the analysis. However, the COVID-19 health crisis and its possible consequences for the socio-economic context, labour market perspectives and key HCD issues are not included in the analysis. The impact of the health crisis will certainly make the current socio-economic situation even worse, while new opportunities could emerge to secure and accelerate system change.
The assessment process included an extensive phase of desk research based on responses to a standardised questionnaire (the NRF), analysis of other relevant studies, and the preparation of an issue paper containing an overview of themes to be discussed in the present report, which were then finalised in consultation with the ETF country and thematic teams responsible for Lebanon.
As with other ETF assessments, this paper is not meant to be exhaustive. The national report for Lebanon covers a broad selection of problems around human capital development and use, while the focus here is on the challenges that the ETF recommends addressing as a matter of priority.