WORK-BASED LEARNING PROGRAM FOR YOUTH - MSME Coaching and Life Skills training

The aim of the designed program is to assist in its efforts to structure and run trainings for WBL participants and Business Coaches, and practical implementation of WBL, with the purpose of linking youth and women to market-driven skills in partnership with the private sector, by working with micro, small and medium sized enterprises (MSMEs) and entrepreneurs to provide technical assistance or in-kind support packages to accelerate growth and foster merit-based hiring practices.
The program targeted 150 Lebanese and non-Lebanese youth (18-34 years), Skilled or have completed a vocational training or have a technical degree, from Lower Chouf area, with the participation of 70% of females.

Based on the justifications for the project, and as a result of the repercussions of the economic crisis in Lebanon, in addition to the crisis caused by COVIDE-19, Therefore what is needed is an innovative approach to address issues at hand, and to find urgent solutions has become a necessity to contain the crisis and address its economic, social and security implications. Through the accumulated experience of the LAID team, the program proposal was designed with multiple components, based on education status of target group that will focuses on building skills that will lead to up-skilling and equip them with pathway to sustainable development and livelihoods using Work-Based Learning strategy and latest training methodology.
The objective behind WBL is for the skilled participants to gain work experience and for the businesses to get skilled labour in support of their production and service activities, in addition to addressing constraints to employment by linking youth and women to market-driven skills in partnership with the private sector, by working with micro, small and medium sized enterprises (MSMEs) and entrepreneurs to provide technical assistance or in-kind support packages to accelerate growth and foster merit-based hiring practices, and by training and/or providing business coaching to potential start-ups to help create employment.

The program will be provided over 2 phases:

1. Training of participants and business coaches.
2. Follow Up on WBL Implementation.

1. Training of participants and Business coaches:
  This phase holds two trainings:
     A. Life Skills Training for Participants:

Every batch of 20-25 participants, outreached by the daily workers and MC 3amaly team, will be given two-days employability training, 6 hours daily for 12 hours of employability training as total.
This training will focus on the essential knowledge and competencies needed to the Skills alignment for trainees, especially Life skills and Soft skills, CV writing, interview conduction in addition to communication skills, occupational safety and health.
Life skills help people make responsible and informed choices and can promote career skills. According to WHO, life skills may be defined as "abilities for adaptive and positive behaviour, that enable individuals to deal effectively with the demands and challenges of everyday life".

Labor market interventions across a variety of contexts are increasingly incorporating life skills training, based on growing evidence from economic and psychology research in developed countries suggesting that non cognitive skills can affect both education and labor market outcomes, so it was life skills training programs.
Life skills programs are designed to teach a broad set of social and behavioural skills that enable individuals to deal effectively with the demands of everyday life.
These skills are particularly important for youth. These skills can furnish youth with strategies for managing stressors from traumatic experiences, improve their pro-social behaviours, and build their sense of belonging and responsibility to their communities.

     B. Training for Business Coaches:

Each business will undergo a capacity-building training for the business coaches assigned for WBL enrolled participants.
WBL is often seen as a powerful way for developing workplace skills and promoting productivity of the labor force, and can raise company’s productivity and innovation.
At the company, the trainee learns practical skills and follows work procedures. Some enterprises have their own training schemes and their staff supervise and provide the trainings to ensure that the apprentice is acquiring the knowledge and skills they need.
As organizations have come to recognize the many purposes and benefits of coaching, the field has grown dramatically, and some organizations actively work to create a culture of coaching. A coaching culture within an organization includes more than formal coaching; it is a culture in which coaching behaviors are used as a means of communicating, managing and influencing others. It is also an environment that values learning and the development of employees.
But still these training schemes and policies are absent from many enterprises, so this part of the program is designed to develop the capabilities of the Business Coaches on effective business coaching in the workplace such as Employability Skills, Working Conditions, Coaching in a business environment, Training and guiding the WBL enrolled participants, Workplace safety Precautions and Covid-19 Response.

Coaching in a business environment is a training method in which a more experienced or skilled individual provides an employee with advice and guidance intended to help develop the individual's skills, performance and career.
A coaching leadership style is proving to be much more effective with today’s employees than the more authoritarian styles that many business leaders operate under. Leaders who coach employees instead of commanding them are able to build a much more talented and agile workforce, which leads to a healthy and growing business.
Coaching is a highly individualized process that depends on both the nature of the trainee and the coach's knowledge, skills and abilities. However, coaches have several recognized techniques and tools to draw on in almost any coaching situation.

2. Follow Up on WBL Implementation.
Upon placement of WBL participants in the matched businesses by the daily workers and MC 3amaly skills team, the Focal Point will make 2 visits during the 60 days of training in work places, to follow-up and to make sure all rights are being safeguarded and all individual development objectives are being met.