How education reform could curb Palestinian unemployment
To reduce unemployment among young people, the Palestinian government is developing vocational and technical education programs to meet Palestinian and Arab labor market needs.
RAMALLAH, West Bank — Come September, Palestinian schools will begin emphasizing vocational and technical training as part of the government's vision to reform the educational system and alleviate unemployment.
The Ministry of Education and the Ministry of Labor formed the Supreme Council for Vocational and Technical Education on Jan. 5. The council is tasked with promoting and supporting professional and technical specializations to meet the demands of the labor market.
There are more students in Palestine pursuing academic tracks at universities than the job market can handle. While university graduates can't find jobs in their majors, technical and vocational jobs go unfilled.
The Palestinian Central Bureau of Statistics said Jan. 26, 2015, that about 32,000 students graduate annually from Palestinian universities and community colleges and are pumped into the labor market. The report also indicated the unemployment rate among young graduates during the second quarter of 2014 was about 56% (34% among me and 75% among women).
