Bilal (20) lives in Rafah, in the southern part of the Gaza Strip. He comes from a wealthy family, but just as thousands of other young men from his generation, he couldn’t find a job. When he was not admitted at university, his uncle offered him to work in his blacksmith workshop. The work was tiresome, but Bilal was happy to learn a skill and earn some money. Unfortunately, his uncle died soon after Bilal started to work for him, which left him without anyone able to teach him the craft of becoming a blacksmith.  

Bilal decided to enroll at the Rafah Vocational Training Center (VTC). This center is part of the Work Based Learning (WBL) initiatives supported by the Belgian Development Cooperation. This means that students combine theoretical classes at the center with an internship in the private sector.

“The training enabled me to master all the skills necessary for becoming a blacksmith, and the learning process was much faster thanks to the training in the private sector. I was very lucky to learn from specialists and experts with a long experience in the field. The fact that I enrolled in the VTC in Rafah was among the best decisions I have ever made.”

Bilal has impressed his teachers and colleagues with his creativity and hard work. Throughout his studies, he got information from specialists and experts with long experience in the field. He is convinced that his decision to attend a vocational training center and the encouragement of his parents were among the best things that happened in his life.  

While enrolled in the VTC, Bilal helped out his neighbors and acquaintances with some small jobs at home to gather some extra money. With the help of this pocket money, he was able to start his own blacksmith workshop soon after graduating from the VTC in Rafah.

So far, his workshop is very small, and the number of tasks he can execute is limited, but his dream is to be able to expand his workshop and buy more sophisticated equipment for his blacksmith workshop.