High levels of unemployment, in particular among youth, is one of the main causes of poverty in the Palestinian Territory. At the same time, the private sector is in dire need of properly skilled people to work for them or start their own business. To tackle this paradox and to reduce unemployment in the Palestinian Territory, the Belgian Development Agency (BTC) started a program to improve the quality and the labour market relevance of Technical and Vocational Education and Training. To reach this objective, Work Based Learning (WBL) schemes are introduced in TVET. 73 WBL initiatives in the West Bank and Gaza for a total of EUR 1.800.000 were launched in April.          

The principle behind the Work Based Learning is fairly simple: the best way to make sure that young people learn skills relevant for the labour market is to assure that part of the training takes place in the workplace while doing real work. This way, WBL improves the practical skills of the students and facilitates the transition from the world of training to the world of work. A first pilot WBL programme was launched in 2015 and has proven very successful. The programme offered a substantial reduction in costs for the participating institutions and companies, increased enrolment of young people in TVET and resulted in significantly higher employment among graduates.

Therefore, the Belgian Development Agency (BTC), together with its local partners, have decided to set up a full-fledged Work Based Learning Fund in the Palestinian Territory. The main aim of the WBL Fund is to stimulate active partnership between TVET institutions and the labour market, creating Public Private Partnerships (PPP) in TVET education.