“Do not give me a fish”: vocational training for Syrian youth

Published: Feb 24, 2020 Reading time: 2 minutes
“Do not give me a fish”: vocational training for Syrian youth
© Foto: People in Need

Osama never finished school, because the conflict meant his local secondary school was repeatedly closed. “I spent most of my time at home,” he explained. So when a friend told him about a new vocational training centre in his area, supported by People in Need and UK aid from the UK government, 20-year-old Osama was immediately interested. He realised that this could be his only opportunity to gain a profession one day.

He applied without knowing quite what to expect. Out of the range of courses on offer—from metalwork, electrical engineering to sewing and embroidery—he was attracted to one in particular.

“I decided to learn carpentry,” he told us. Osama proved himself quite adept at this new profession, and after completing his training received a grant. He used this to go into business with his neighbour, who owned a carpentry workshop.

Now, he told us proudly, “I am receiving a weekly wage for my work here, and I can help my parents.”

Osama’s trainer, Majd, was himself affected by the conflict. As the fighting escalated, he had to take his family and leave home.

But he has found a way to contribute to his new hometown by training TVET students. For him, this is not simply about earning a living.

“We have a proverb,” he told us, “that says ‘do not give me a fish; rather teach me how to fish’.” This is what Majd feels the centre allows him to do: give young people a sustainable future, where they can contribute to a more prosperous society.

The protracted conflict in Syria—now in its ninth year—has profoundly damaged the country’s economy, limiting educational opportunities and creating pervasive unemployment. When the future is so uncertain, what is left for Syria’s next generation to hope for?

Our technical and vocational training courses help provide an answer. By bringing together skilled local trainers and unemployed youth, new career pathways are created. Students who meet our vulnerability criteria and are selected for the courses are then provided with transport and training materials, along with equipment after graduation. The most committed graduates are even awarded grants to launch small businesses, and take their professions to the next level.

These projects are having a critical effect on hundreds of vulnerable families. Read about other young people in Idlib who are building new futures, like Fatima and Adbul-Rahman.

For many years, People in Need has supported thousands of conxflict-affected households in northern Syria to better provide for their families in very difficult circumstances. Osama, Majd and 443 (+ proportion of 482 in northern Syria) others graduated from vocational courses in the last year, thanks to UK aid from the UK government.

Learn more about our work in Syria here.

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Autor: Omar Khattab and Riona Judge McCormack

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