Vocational training and employment prospects in Syria – Needs, initiatives and opportunities for cooperation with the Diaspora
On 7 September 2026, the “A New Beginning for Syria” platform, in collaboration with GIZ’s project “Training and Employment in Syria (STEP)” – funded by the BMZ, the EU and Switzerland – organised a virtual expert event on vocational training, further education and employment promotion in Syria.
The event provided over 100 interested members of the platform with information on current requirements and activities in Syria and facilitated an initial structured exchange between GIZ’s systematic talent development process and relevant diaspora stakeholders. It also helped to foster networking among diaspora initiatives and enterprises.
In her opening remarks, Mona Heiß, policy officer for Syria at the BMZ, highlighted the delegation trip to Syria led by State Secretary Niels Annen and accompanied by German business representatives in early September 2026. She highlighted the positive energy in the discussions held and the potential to build a bridge between Germany and Syria through vocational training projects.
Ahmad Ankir, Director of International Cooperation at the Syrian Ministry of Economy and Industry, outlined the context regarding requirements and priorities in Syria. A key challenge is the availability of qualified skilled workers who can meet the actual requirements of the labour market in Syria. For example, there is a shortage of skilled workers in the fields of industrial maintenance, mechanical and plant engineering, textile technology, food processing and renewable energies. International partners and the diaspora are key partners for the Syrian government in establishing a skills and qualifications ecosystem that delivers practical, labour-market-relevant skills through initial and continuing education and training, and creates sustainability in employment prospects.
Since March 2026, GIZ’s project “Training and Employment in Syria (STEP)”, led by Julia Becker, has been working to improve employment prospects for young people in Syria in cooperation with the private sector, with a view to promoting peace through reconstruction. Julia Becker presented the project’s activities and focus regions. She highlighted opportunities for cooperation with the diaspora with a view to incorporating expertise from the skilled trades and industry, as well as cooperation with the private sector via a Matching Grants Facility. More detailed information on her presentation can be found in the available PowerPoint presentation linked below this contribution.
This was followed by four presentations from members of the “A New Beginning for Syria” platform, featuring projects on technical and vocational education and training, skills development and employment promotion, which illustrated the diaspora’s existing commitment in this area:
- Fares Alabbar (Ausbildung ohne Grenzen gUG) is a master joiner and, through his non-profit enterprise, is implementing initiatives to strengthen technical and vocational education and training in Syria. He emphasised the potential inherent in Syria’s system of technical and vocational education and training and advocated avoiding double structures.
- Zakaria Oulabi (Outatex GmbH) is currently ramping up his company’s activities in Syria again and is planning a vocational training programme. In his contribution, he emphasised that a dual training system could help to avoid over-qualification and better meet training needs.
- Salma Chbib (RAIDAT Women’s Network) is currently setting up a mentoring and skills development programme for women in Syria to enhance knowledge transfer and digital skills. She emphasised that targeted initiatives are needed to strengthen women’s presence in the Syrian economy.
- Mohamed Latifa (Syrmania Assembly e.V.) has set up the digital networking platform ‘Syrlink’ for the association and outlined how ‘Syrlink’ could, in the future, connect experts with companies and organisations, thereby closing an important gap in employment promotion.
In the lively discussion that followed, both in the chat and in the plenary room, other participants presented their projects or sought opportunities for collaboration. Questions were also answered regarding the framework conditions for technical and vocational education and training in Syria, the sustainability of projects through the avoidance of duplicate structures, and opportunities for networking between Syrian and German companies.
What’s next?
If you already have specific plans to invest in training programmes in Syria as a company, or if you’d like to get involved as a qualified expert in the fields of training or skilled trades, please feel free to contact @email directly.
If you are looking for cooperation partners for your project, please register with the partner pool on the “New Beginning for Syria” platform or search for organisations and individuals working on the same topic: Partner pool on the “A New Beginning for Syria” platform | A New Beginning for Syria platform
Further information on upcoming events organised as part of the ‘New Beginning for Syria’ platform is available on our website, via our newsletter and through our LinkedIn Group, which we warmly invite you to join.
Do you have any ideas or questions you’d like to share with us via the ‘A New Beginning for Syria’ platform? Would you like to contribute your experience and expertise? Please write to us at: @email.
