Improving job opportunities for young Palestinians II

Project description

Title: More job opportunities for Palestinian youth II
Commissioned by: German Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development (BMZ)
Country: Palestinian territories
Lead executing agency: Ministry of Higher Education and Scientific Research (MoHE)
Overall term: 2021 to 2024

Electrical engineering students during their practical training. (Photo: GIZ)

Context

One of the most pressing challenges in the Palestinian territories is high (youth) unemployment. University graduates are hit particularly hard, with an unemployment rate of 55 per cent. Depending on their course of study, it takes graduates an average of 10 to 25 months before they start their first job. 

The discrepancy between the current university system and the demands of the labour market is one cause of this problem. University curricula are often too theoretical and lack practical relevance. As a result, students’ qualifications often fail to meet companies’ needs.

Objective

In addition to the dual study programmes developed by the More Job Opportunities for Palestinian Youth I project at the Al-Quds University, two further dual study programmes have been established at another university in the Palestinian territories. Furthermore, the quality of labour market-oriented university education and access to this education have been improved.

Electrical engineering student inspecting a switch box. (Photo: GIZ)

Approach

The project develops and implements dual study programmes in cooperation with the Palestine Polytechnic University in Hebron, the Ministry of Higher Education and Scientific Research (MoHE), and Palestinian companies. The practical programmes meet labour market demands and enable students to acquire initial experience on the job, enhancing graduates’ job opportunities on the Palestinian labour market.

The project operates in three fields of action:

  • It advises the Palestine Polytechnic University on developing dual study programmes. This includes designing curricula, planning and implementing practical phases with the university, and training instructors.
  • It also supports the university with recruiting partner companies and strengthens cooperation between the university and the private sector. As part of this collaboration, the project partners produce joint concepts for practical and training phases, covering areas such as quality standards, training plans and teacher training.
  • The project also cooperates with MoHE and the Palestinian accreditation agency. They work together to develop guidelines for dual study programmes and a strategy for sharing practice-oriented approaches with Palestinian universities.

Last update: February 2022

Engineering management student at a test lab for quality assurance. (Photo: GIZ)

Additional information