The European Training Foundation (ETF) has presented the findings of a research mapping skills policy and support measures in Lebanon. The research, the first of its kind, shows that a national mobility strategy would help Lebanon better utilise the skills of refugees, foreign workers, migrants, expatriates and returnees.
Building upon the inventory of Migrant Support Measures from the Employment and Skills Perspective (MISMES), the ETF research identifies 17 measures in Lebanon that aim to support labour mobility, job and skills matching for expatriates and returnees, potential emigrants, foreign migrants, asylum seekers and refugees.
Twelve MISMES focus on support for refugees, as well as ‘vulnerable’ Lebanese beneficiaries. Three focus on foreign migrant workers and two cater for Lebanese emigrants and expatriates.
The majority of measures are financed by the international donor community, including the EU which is the world’s leading donor in the international crisis response in Syria.
The research identifies several good practices, but shows overall that the number of beneficiaries remain very limited because MISMES are not part of a national system and continue to be externally funded. Overlap and duplication of services is also present.