Enhancing Local Employment, Skills and Enterprises in Nahr el Bared, Lebanon

The objective of this project is to reduce poverty amongst Nahr al-Bared residents by providing better access to employment, self-employment and training opportunities.

SUMMARY

After the Nahr al-Bared camp (NBC) crisis in May 2007, the camp was totally destroyed with around 4,855 families displaced. According to the NBC Rapid Socio-economic Survey undertaken in September 2007, 79 per cent of the displaced population of NBC declared themselves unemployed. This lack of jobs posed a threat to the stability and security of NBC and all surrounding areas. The ILO and UNRWA responded by implementing a project to enhance local employment skills and enterprises in the NBC and Baddawi camps, in collaboration with other international agencies in NBC.


PROJECT OBJECTIVES

The objective of this project is to reduce poverty amongst Nahr al-Bared residents by providing better access to employment, self-employment and training opportunities. It aims to:
• Establish emergency employment services that operate with well-trained staff able to provide specific advisory and labour market services to targeted groups of job seekers.
• Identify employment and training opportunities and refer jobseekers to employment opportunities with major projects, private sector employers and other employment options.
• Provide relevant and up-to-date advice and assistance to targeted jobseekers on microfinance, business development services and self-employment opportunities available in the local labour market.


MAIN ACTIVITIES

• Networking between employment service centres, private sector representatives and vocational training providers.
• Deliver a rapid skills enhancement programme for 400 beneficiaries.
• Provide of counselling and referral services.
• Address the identified skills shortage through 20 short-term and demand-driven vocational training courses, each comprising of 20 trainees.


PROJECT OUTCOMES

• The UNRWA Emergency Employment Services Centre (EESC) that coordinates recruitment, orientation and other related activities is established and functioning efficiently.
• A total of 120,000 work days of employment generated for NBC residents within the execution and implementation of the overall emergency programme.
• A network between the EESC, private sector representatives and vocational training providers established and impacts on the skills development and employment situation of NBC residents.
• A rapid skills enhancement programme for 400 beneficiaries delivered.
• Self-employment opportunities are identified and counselling and referral services to self-employment opportunities are delivered to 200 beneficiaries.