About the project:
The School to Career Program, implemented in 2 phases, impacted over 4500 public secondary school students and 135 counsellors, supervisors, and Directorate of Education “Heads of Department.” The program provided students with career education and career guidance through the “StC Toolkit” career guidance curriculum, as well as career exploration activities, which empowered them with the knowledge, skills, and mind-sets needed to become informed and active actors, equipped to choose and embark on individualized and advantageous academic and career paths.
The StC Program included the following activities:
For students:
- Career guidance lessons following strict quality assurance protocols
- Career Guidance Workshops with students
- Career Guidance Workshops with parents
- Note Speakers Series
- Field Visits to academic and vocational institutions
- Tamheed career aptitude assessment and follow-up career counselling sessions led by certified CDCE-I career counsellors
- Job Shadowing activities
- StC Summer Gathering (1-week Soft skills summer camp)
- StC Institution Fair
- StC National Career Guidance Conference
For school counselors, supervisors, and Directorate of Education “Heads of Department:”
- Training in the “Toolkit” career guidance curriculum
- Training of Trainers in career guidance
- Development of the Career Guidance Training Manual
Project Donor: International Youth Foundation – USAID.
Phase 1 (December 2012 – September 2013)
Phase 1 of the School to Career Program provided career guidance, career education, and career exploration activities to over 1300 public secondary school students in the Bethlehem governorate. The project also provided a week-long “Summer Gathering” which enhanced students’ soft skills through training and drama.
Phase 1 Partners:
Bethlehem Directorate of Education/Union of Engineers/Palestine Ahliya University /Vocational Training Center – Beit Jala/Union of Stone and Marble/Local Economic Development Council/Bethlehem Employment Office – One Stop Shop.
Phase 1 Outputs:
- New partnerships created with private and public sector institutions
- Successful piloting of the STC Toolkit for grades eleven and twelve in 10 public schools in Bethlehem.
- 1319 secondary school students with heightened career awareness and employ ability skills through the StC Toolkit and career guidance and exploration activities.
- 118 students with raised self-awareness and improved mind-sets through career guidance activities, namely the Tamheed assessment, and career counselling sessions (led by certified CDCE-I career counselors).
- 368 parents with raised awareness about making informed decisions regarding post-secondary education (vocational and academic), and future career choices for their children.
- Targeted students, parents, and ministerial representatives with raised awareness about the benefits of career education, career advising, and vocational education.
Phase 2(September 2013 – January 2015)
Phase 2 of the School to Career Program provided career guidance, career education, and career exploration activities to approximately 3250 public secondary school students in Bethlehem, Hebron, Jenin, and Nablus Governorates (31 schools), as well as to students attending the private SOS School in Bethlehem. The project also enabled over 125 school counselors, supervisors, and Directorate of Education “Heads of Department” to manage, implement, and assess the 2-year career guidance curriculum (“StC Toolkit”). Furthermore, the project facilitated the piloting of a quality assurance program that includes daily monitoring and assessment tools that gauge the progress of the StC program. Finally, the project developed a Career Guidance Training Manual and held a Training of Trainers capacitating counselors representing all governorates of the West Bank to safeguard the expansion and sustainability of the School to Career Program.
Phase 2 Partners:
Arab American University Jenin/Palestine Ahliya University /Directorate of Education – Jenin/Directorate of Education – Nablus/Directorate of Education – North Hebron/Directorate of Education – Bethlehem/Ministry of Education and Higher Education/Palestinian Civil Defense /Youth Development Resource Center – Hebron/Youth Development Resource Center – Jabal Al Nar/Chamber of Commerce – North Hebron/North Hebron Employment Office /Bethlehem Employment Office/Palestine Polytechnic University/Vocational Training Center – Beit Jala/Central Television – Jenin/Radio Bethlehem 2000/Ma’an News Agency – Nablus/Ma’an News Agency/Zahra Al Mada’en Engineering Office – Jenin /Union of Engineers/Lukes Hospital/National Insurance Company/Agricultural Development Association/Royal Company /Al Aroub Technical College/Al Khateeb Accounting Company.
Phase 2 Outputs:
- New partnerships created with private and public sector institutions.
- 3258 secondary school students with heightened career awareness and employ ability skills through the StC Toolkit and career guidance and exploration activities.
- 422 secondary school students with heightened awareness of personal aptitudes and best career paths through Tamheed testing and counselling.
- 217 parents with raised awareness about making informed decisions regarding post-secondary education (vocational and academic), and future career choices for their children.
- 125 school counselors, supervisors, and Directorate of Education “Heads of Department” with enhanced career counselling skills.
- Career Guidance Training Manual.
- Counselors representing every govern-orate of the West Bank trained in the StC Toolkit.
Other targets met:
- 26 Strategic partnerships (MOUs) developed with public, private and civil sector institutions to serve youth
- 7 Training programs provided to improve skills of youth career counselors
- 125 Career counselors completed training in career counselling methods
- 34 Schools, colleges, universities or youth-serving institutions provided career counselling services to youth through the project
- 87% of youth participants satisfied with the project and career guidance services provided
