In cooperation with UDDP and Tripoli and the North Bar Association, the Special Economic Zone (SEZ) in Tripoli organized yesterday a seminar entitled, ‘Examining the gap between supply and demand in the labor market in Tripoli and the North’. The President of the Association, Bassam Ziadeh, said there are no official figures in Lebanon that determine which disciplines constitute a large surplus that cannot be absorbed by the local labor market. Besides, he added, coordination is lacking between relevant ministries, universities and unions to guide students on most wanted occupations. According to Al Mustaqbal newspaper, experts partaking in the discussion pointed out that closing the said gap will stimulate the recruitment of about 3,500 young people within SEZ which initially needs between 5,000 and 7,000 positions. The seminar however revealed big loopholes that ought to be addressed through training, cooperation and the integration of new curricula in vocational or university education in order to alleviate the high rates of unemployment in the North (nearly 35%), Al Mustaqbal wrote. Lebanon’s second capital is in bad need for employment opportunities, given that 57% of its inhabitants are poor, 27% live in extreme poverty and 22% of its youth are unemployed. In conclusion, the seminar has largely shown a shortage in skills impeded by an academic approach that supports theoretical rather than applied education; a vocational education incompatible with the requirements of the local labor market; an absence of collaboration between the vocational and private sectors, and an unawareness to capacity building, namely in the technical areas related to maintenance and mechanics, as well as, in life, operational and managerial skills. (Al Mustaqbal, Al Diyar, December 15, 2017)
