Mid-Term Evaluation and Review of Education / Employment Project

Detailed description of project Back

The Project to be evaluated grounded in an agreement between the EC and the Ministry of Education and Higher Education of Lebanon (MEHE), dated 2006, aims at addressing the inability of Lebanon’s formal vocational training system to adequately respond to the demands of the Lebanese labour market. The EC contribution to the project is EUR 5 million, while an additional contribution of EUR 1 million is to be made by MEHE. The project is based on a previous public-private-partnership (PPP) agreement between MEHE and the Syndicate of Lebanese Food Industries (SLFI), signed in 2000 and reactivated in 2005, with the aim of establishing a sustainable pilot Centre of Excellence (CoE), capable of responding to the demands of the Lebanese agro-food industries for practically skilled mid-level technicians. The CoE model, once developed, should be replicable in other industrial sectors. The Agro-Food Technical Institute in Qab Elias (the Bekaa), has been selected for this purpose.

The intervention logic addresses the needs of the three public-private beneficiaries: the MEHE Directorate General of Vocational and Technical Education (DGVTE), the Syndicate of the Lebanese Food Industries (SLFI), and the National Employment Office (NEO).

Since April 2008, the Project has been benefiting from technical assistance, provided by four long-term experts and a significant allocation of short-term expertise. The progress of the Project has been slower than expected. Therefore, before the Project enters the last year of implementation, the approach and activities must be reviewed and re-oriented. The Objective of the MTE is to provide the project managers with guidance in the project review and re-orientation towards a sustainable public-private partnership model for the Agro-Food Technical Institute in Qab Elias. To this end the MTE will:

• Provide an overall, independent and accountable evaluation of the project, responding to the concerns raised in the monitoring report, including a thorough analysis of main obstacles and constraints, and proposing recommendations to overcome the identified obstacles and constraints;
• Provide guidance and facilitation for a thorough project review, including revision of project activities and in particular the set up of the PPP.

Type of services provided

PROMAN provides the services of a Team Leader in TVET and an Assistant who provide following services:

• Desk review of documents;
• Field mission to Lebanon with focus on evaluation of the project, analysis of the problems hindering the successful implementation and identification of rectification measures;
• Involving stakeholders through workshops and focused group discussions;
• Production of an Interim Report to be submitted for internal review to stakeholders;
• Facilitate the Review Process focussing on the development of a sustainable business model.

PROMAN manages and coordinates the mission.