Impact Evaluation of the Integrated Skills Training Program for Disadvantaged Youth and Adolescents in Lebanon
The Integrated Skills Training Programme for Disadvantaged Adolescents and Youth in Lebanon (TVET) aimed to provide vocational and competence-based training to both Lebanese and refugee youth, increase their access to employment and income generating activities, and enhance their personal and life skills. The program focused on young people who were unemployed and out of formal education. It also looked for opportunities to promote social cohesion among youth of different backgrounds and nationalities.
The United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) contracted AIR to conduct an impact evaluation of TVET, funded by the German bank Kreditanstalt für Wiederaufbau (KfW). AIR used a mixed-methods evaluation to identify opportunities to improve implementation and increase program effectiveness. The evaluation consisted of a baseline, midline, and endline evaluation that assessed differences between beneficiaries and a randomized comparison group of Lebanese and refugee youth in Lebanon. Evaluations also included perspectives of key stakeholders to examine the sustainability of the program beyond international support.
Key Findings
- It was important to tailor programming to youths’ needs (sectors, levels, scheduling, etc.) and take stock of similar programs to minimize overlaps.
- UNICEF and its partners did commendable work to remove employment-related gender stereotypes, but deeply embedded cultural norms caused challenges remain for female graduates of the program.
- It was difficult to determine the appropriate salaries for Cash For Work participants in such a volatile economic environment; the program paid youth a seemingly living wage, but that may have inadvertently set unrealistic salary expectations.
