Skills Gap Analysis: For Improved Livelihood Sustainability In Lebanon

 
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Developed By:
Beyond Group

In Partnership With:
OXFAM

ACTED

CARE

Danish Refugee Council (DRC)

Save The Children

2016


Skills Gap Analysis

For Improved Livelihood Sustainability In Lebanon

Leaders Consortium composed of the Danish Refugee Council, Oxfam, ACTED, CARE and Save the Children are working together with the support of Madad Trust Fund on a program that aims to contribute to the economic self-reliance, resilience and social stability of displacement-affected populations in Jordan and Lebanon as prioritized by the Regional Refugee and Resilience Plan (3RP).

The program will work on enhancing the economic stability of all displaced and displacement-affected populations. The intervention targets 250,000 individuals in Jordan and Lebanon including:

  • Economically vulnerable individuals and households (with particular focus on women and youth);

  • Existing and scalable private sector enterprises (MSMEs), and private sector associations

  • Marginalized Syrian refugees

  • Municipalities/Cadastres in the most displacement-affected areas, most often those that are hosting refugees

The specific objectives of the program include:

  • Improved access to sustainable livelihood opportunities that benefit vulnerable households and individuals, particularly youth and women

  • Improving the economic environment to enable opportunities and service delivery in communities hosting refugees

Leaders Consortium commissioned Beyond Group (previously Beyond Reform and Development) in Lebanon, to conduct a skills gap analysis in Mount Lebanon (Jdaidet El-Matn, Baouchriyeh, Dekouaneh, Bourj Hammoud), Tripoli (both the city and district) and the Bekaa (Zahle and Baalbeck). The research serves as a baseline for the future programmatic interventions on economic resilience through job creation and job matching opportunities as well as vocational training curriculum development efforts by partners of the Leaders Consortium.

The desk review includes a review of existing literature on sectoral characteristics and expected growth on a regional and national level, the socio-economic implications of the Syrian refugee crisis, the skills gaps in specific sub-sectors, as well as an overview of the available technical and vocational education programs.

This study takes into consideration the latest activities discussed in regional livelihood working groups, with an extensive focus on the LCRP Working Group Lessons Learned Workshop report. The study also looks at recent studies such as the UNDP Labor Market Needs Assessment that focused on the construction, industry and ICT (Information and Communications Technology) sectors, the Market Overview of SMEs in Beirut and Mount Lebanon by IRC, and others.

The study also builds on another research entitled “Market Mapping for Employment and Job Placement” (LMA) assessment conducted in the Bekaa and North Regions of Lebanon by BRD in partnership with with Mercy Corps Lebanon. This report integrates a more in-depth investigation into the skills needed by local SMEs based on promising sectors and present hiring trends.

The study was guided by the Technical Management Unit (TMU) of the Leaders Consortium and their feedback was integrated at the different stages of the research in order to optimize the methodology and tools used, this helped improve the focus of the study.