Despite the high levels of tertiary education in Lebanon, the supply of highly skilled workers is not keeping up with employer demand. To increase their productivity and competitiveness, Lebanese employers need educated graduates with mastery in targeted job readiness skills. This requires that Lebanese higher education institutions (HEIs) improve their capacity to effectively train new labor market entrants.

To meet this need, EDC will implement USAID’s five-year Higher Education Capacity Development (HECD) program. HECD will support Lebanese HEIs in improving their administrative, academic, and job readiness capacity to better prepare graduates for employment and success in the labor market.

HECD staff will conduct the following activities:

• Facilitate a Continuous Institutional Maturity Assessment (CIMA) semi-annually with each HEI partner to identify priority HEI capacity-building needs and related project assistance.
• Introduce innovative teaching and learning materials focused on job readiness skills, including EDC’s Work Ready Now, Be Your Own Boss, Design Thinking, and Work-Based Learning programs
• Provide training-of-trainer programs, professional development workshops, and mentoring and coaching for university administrators and instructors
• Deliver HEI institutional capacity-building training covering alumni tracking systems, career center, data integration, enhancements, employer engagement, and grant writing systems
• Promote inclusive and gender-balanced employment opportunities

The goals for HECD include:

• 8–12 HEIs with measurable improvements in institutional capacity to provide in-demand job readiness skills training to university students
• 14,000 university graduates to complete HECD’s practical, activity-based job skills training programs