Improving job opportunities for young Palestinians II

Context

High youth unemployment is a major challenge in the Palestinian territories. University graduates are hit particularly hard; more than half are unemployed after graduation. At the same time, companies are struggling to find suitable skilled workers and managers.

The mismatch between the current university system and the demands of the labour market means that university curricula are often too theoretical and lack practical relevance. In addition, graduates often lack important soft skills.

Objective

The quality of labour market-oriented university education and access to this education have been improved. Universities are well connected internationally. Companies benefit from improvements in the transfer of university-driven innovation.

In addition to the dual study programmes implemented by the predecessor project, three dual study programmes have been established at another university.

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 (MoHESR), and Palestinian companies. The practical programmes meet labour market demands and enable students to acquire initial experience on the job as part of the programme, enhancing their job opportunities.

The project operates in four fields of action:

1. Developing dual study programmes by designing curricula, planning and implementing practical phases, and training instructors.
2. Recruiting partner companies by developing partnerships between the university and the private sector, with the aim of producing joint concepts for practical and training phases.
3. Developing guidelines for dual study programmes in cooperation with MoHESR and the Palestinian accreditation agency.
4. Promoting cooperation networks for universities so that knowledge and innovation can be transferred both nationally and internationally.

Last update: March 2023