(MENAFNEditorial) As part of a long-term effort to improve employment and civic engagement opportunities among Palestinian youth, the International Youth Foundation (IYF) has partnered with Silatechto deliver a four-day specialized career guidance training to representatives of youth-focused organizations in the West Bank.
The nine Palestinian organizations who participated in the training included schools, universities and youth-serving NGOs.
Improving access to quality career counseling isone elementinIYF's Youth Entrepreneurship Development (YED) program, a four-year USAID-funded initiative to expand job, entrepreneurship, and civic engagement opportunities for up to 10,000 young Palestinians.
"IYF is very pleased to partner with Silatech to leverage its expertise and resources in promoting access to quality career guidance among Palestinian youth," said Dr. Mohammad ALMbaid, IYF Country Director in Palestine.
"This training is also part of YED's long-term strategy to build the capacity of youth-serving institutions to better prepare Palestinian youth for success in the job market."
The training sessions included both the theory and practice of career counseling.
Participants learnedhow to conduct effective guidance sessions, give meaningful and appropriate feedback, and integrate Tamheed, Silatech's program for career guidance based on online psychometric assessments.
Trainees gained hands-on experience through opportunities to conduct a number of career guidance sessions themselves.
SalpiGiacaman, a student counselor at Bethlehem University, reflected on what he gained from the experience. "This was one of the best training sessions that I have attended.
I learned a great deal, and I was able to immediately practice these new methods with my students.
" Participants agreed there is an urgent need to focus on career guidance among Palestinian youth.
According to Dr. Rachel Awad, who leads Silatech's career guidance programming and co-delivered the training: "It was a true joy and pleasure to be able to work with such motivated and focused individuals.
It is rewarding to know that their organizations now have the capacity to provide effective, professional career guidance advice to help Palestinian youth find their way in the working world."
During the training, a number of students from local universities took the Tamheed assessments and received one-to-one career advising sessions. Mohamed, a third- year university student, explained: "This has been very helpful.
With my Tamheed report and my advisor, I am now thinking about new options that I would not have thought of before." Reem, another student, commented: "By far the best part about this experience is the one-to-one feedback.
I am very pleased that someone has taken the time to know who I am as a person, and to provide me with career advice based on that information. This has really been a unique experience."
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