The Lebanese Organization for Studies and Training (LOST), in cooperation with Berufliche Fortbildungszentren Der Bayerischen Wirtschaft (BFZ) held a graduation ceremony at Tammouz Hall in Baalbeck, and degrees were conferred upon a total of 143 Lebanese and Syrian young men and women of the fifth and last level at BINA vocational training center.
After the National Anthem was played, a short documentary video was displayed showing the journey of the graduates at BINA who completed professional training courses in the following fields: health care, hotel and hospitality, plumbing, air conditioning and refrigeration, solar electricity, warehouse management, and logistics, funded by the Bavarian state government.
Dr. Rami Lakkis, the founder of LOST, delivered a speech in which he greeted the graduates and attendees, and highlighted the importance of vocational training in Baalbeck-Hermel area that suffers from high unemployment rates. Dr. Lakkis stated, “our one-and-a-half-year project has come to an end. This project has trained around 500 young men and women out of which 112 have actually succeeded at finding jobs. This record is impressive in the field of vocational training in our country”.
Dr. Lakkis added, “we have sought both short term and long term goals. On the short run, we focused on building capacities, improving the youth skills, inspiring confidence and team work through life skills training and workshops, and thus opening doors for more job opportunities”. Dr. Lakkis also announced that the project was renewed and registration is open, and that vocational trainings will continue to contribute in both human and economic developments. In this direction, it was mentioned that the trained participants have equipped Bedneyel public schools, Harbata municipality, and the community farm with solar systems.
To conclude, Dr. Lakkis emphasized to the graduates, “this training is your key to employment; you should be confident, impulsive, and never stop seeking to learn new information”.
At the end of the ceremony, kits were distributed to the graduates to help them engage in the labor market.
