Nov, 2023
Anera’s Vocational Training in Hospitality Also Offers Life Skills
This program is supported by UNICEF and funded by the Government of Germany through KfW Development Bank.
Lebanon’s once vibrant tourism, hospital and restaurant sectors have struggled to survive the country’s economic turmoil. Many businesses have been forced to cut back on staff, affecting the livelihoods of many young workers who made up the industry's workforce.
With the support of UNICEF, Anera’s Youth Empowerment, Education & Employability Program has established strategic partnerships with the private sector to help boost the skilled workforce needed to revitalize the industry.
These vocational training courses are available for both Lebanese and refugee youth and are designed to actively connect them to the job market. In the hospitality sector, for instance, the training can link the youth to direct employment opportunities. One notable partnership is with Lakkis Farm Restaurants, a reputable local franchise that serves freshly made Lebanese food and other products from its farms in the Bekaa Valley.
Lama Mahmoud is an education field coordinator at Anera and a force behind the effort. “After receiving 150 hours of technical training in addition to training in life skills, 14 out of 15 students will be hired by the Lakkis restaurant,” Lama says. “Students have been trained in the restaurant they will be hired in, which allows them to develop a bond and a commitment to the staff and their new workplace and automatically gives them an advantage in their performance.”
“Students have been trained in the restaurant they will be hired in, which... automatically gives them an advantage"
The training also has had a profound impact on the students, their lives and aspirations.
Obieda, a young newly appointed chef from Syria, embodies the potential of the training to harness existing skills and open up opportunities to pursue a career. "I used to be a sous-chef in a restaurant in Beirut," says Obeida, "The COVID-19 crisis came and the restaurant had to close."
During Anera’s program, he has gained essential skills in food safety and health protocols that elevated his skills as a professional chef and empowered him to pursue his career as a result of the training he has received with Anera.
With a heartwarming smile, 24-year-old Ali from South Lebanon shares his journey from being a security guard with unstable hours to joining the restaurant industry. "During the training, I learned about teamwork in action. The way people in the workplace interact and work together is inspiring," he says. He dreams of becoming a personal trainer and working as a waiter is helping him build the social skills he needs to achieve his dream.
Adnan, a 19-year-old from Beirut, emphasizes how the courses encouraged him and others to complete their journeys. "I was unable to continue my education at university because of economic difficulties," says Adnan.
"The course with Anera has given me the push I needed, equipping me with skills in a new field that I quite like and linking me with a job.”
Adnan
Ali
"I learned about teamwork in action. The way people [here] interact and work together is inspiring."
Some in the training course will pursue a career in hospitality alongside other possibilities because the training has given them the confidence to pursue their goals. Sally, a 19-year-old Lebanese medical student, dreams of becoming a renowned ophthalmologist.
She says her confidence soared as she learned to interact with customers in a warm and informal manner, creating an inviting way. “I dream of becoming the most renowned ophthalmologist in the world. This has been my dream since I was a child.”
But now, she says, “I also dream of opening my own restaurant with many branches to expand my network and secure good income for me and others.”
