During a reception for partners in its premises in Ramallah

Sharek launches the 6^th phase of A Step Forward Program with 50 Palestinian companies and institutions

Ramallah – Sharek Youth Forum, 17 February 2008. Sharek Youth Forum announced the launch of the 6^th phase of its A Step Forward Program with the participation of around 50 institutions, universities, institutes and firms. This program focuses on the implementation of a series of projects to equip Palestinian youth with skills for economic empowerment. Through specialized projects and units, Sharek continues to provide opportunities and resources for the development of Palestinian youth in particular and the Palestinian economy in general.

The launch was announced during the regular meeting of Sharek's partners in A Step Forward Program held yesterday in Sharek premises in Ramallah. In the meeting, Sharek's Executive Director Bader Zamareh informed the partners of the latest developments and achievements made by the program in 2007 and discussed with them means for increased cooperation during the current year.

Zamareh explained that the program seeks to bridge the gap between what  students learn in higher education institutions and the requirements of the Palestinian labor market by equipping youth with practical skills they need in order to be qualified for joining the labor market and contributing to the Palestinian economic development.

He praised the efforts of partners in supporting the Palestinian youth, particularly through their participation in the career counseling program for university graduates – A Step Forward during the past years. He hoped that such cooperation will continue in favor of further advancements in Palestinian youth development.

The following reflects how the program is viewed by some of its partners:

Hani Samara, Arab Bank: This program makes steps forward, not only one step. We support it because it invests in human resources, particularly in youth. Sharek Forum has made significant strides in this regard in service of our society and we are proud to be partners with Sharek. The private sector is a major supporter of nation building and the development of young leaders.

Hussein Al-Saifi, National Insurance Company: We were among the first firms to cooperate with Sharek Forum in this project since three years. As real partners, we participated in the training of students. We wish Sharek further success in this pioneering program, which invests in students and enables them to benefit from companies' expertise through model interviews, training and lectures.

Niaz Dheifallah, Palestine Technical College: This is an excellent program aimed at developing students' characters and skills. In view of the lack of opportunities for extracurricular education, this program has become of high significance in bridging the wide gap between theoretical and academic concepts on one hand and practical and professional life on the other.

Sahab Zalmout, Palestine Technical College / Students' Affairs Department: We have always maintained close cooperation with Sharek Forum. Evidently, this program proved to be very successful, especially in preparing the graduating students for professional life and for searching for new job opportunities. The program as a whole provides the students with hands-on and professional skills for finding a job. It complements the theoretical courses at universities. We hope it will develop and advance further.

Dr. Violet Fasheh, Al-Sadiq Al-Taieb Society: This is a good program that prepares youth, males and females, for finding employment and managing the required responsibilities in relation to their jobs.

Afaf Rabi', Al-Sadiq Al-Taieb Society: The program provided me with an opportunity to establish direct relation with groups of human sciences students. The program deserves to be sustained in order to assist students in learning about career opportunities; help them find jobs, make contacts with community institutions and have a chance to choose their careers; and create contacts between young people and employers in the labor market.

Alla' Kharroub, Caritas: I had a chance to train a number of youth and students' groups to equip them with life skills. I believe the program is bridging the gap between the theory and the labor market. It is really responding to the needs of university students and graduates in achieving community development.

Mohana Handel, ABC: The program's idea is very positive, especially for new graduates and students in general. It should be sustained.

Muyassar Sobeih, Center for the Rehabilitation of Torture Victims: A Step Forward Program should be sustained and taken forward unceasingly in order to help young students and graduates learn new things and be creative. It really addresses the needs of students and helps them achieve their desires in obtaining a job opportunity, especially under the current economic hardship suffered by our society and people.

Zaher Bassyuni, Leaderships Institution: The program is very impressive. It motivates youth and offers them opportunities to gain experience, build their skills and competence and decide on their career future.

Wafa' Sa'adeh, College of Educational Sciences – Al-Tireh: This is a an excellent program that directly serves the careers of young people. As a college, we benefited from this program in assisting our students by responding to their needs and developing their career plans in the labor market. The success of the program motivates us to maintain our cooperation and partnership with Sharek Forum in implementing pioneering youth initiatives that certainly benefit the entire society.

Abdullah Nakhal, financial director at Grand Park Hotel: This is a pioneering and very important program for youth and graduates, in particular in view of the wide gap between the outputs of theoretical education and the labor market. It helps students learn about the labor market and its requirements and get prepared for joining the economy.

Omar Rahhal, director of SHAMS Center: A Step Forward Program is one of the pioneering programs implemented by Palestinian institutions. Through this program, Sharek Forum was able to build the capacity of graduates and help them make steps forward from theory and directly towards human and economic development in its relation to the social development in a comprehensive sense. The project helped reduce unemployment among graduates and youth by building their capacity and allowing them achieve self-realization. The project is a pioneering model that can be scaled up by all Palestinian youth institutions.

Mohammed Khrais, Experts: The program is excellent as it provides an effective tool to solve major problems facing our youth in the different fields of specialty. The program trained them on how to prepare and submit their CVs to institutions and companies. It helped develop their character through model interviews with companies and bridged the gap between the available job opportunities and those hunting for jobs. The program has developed to go beyond training and skills development and contribute to supporting small-scale business, thus leaping steps forward in enabling young people start up their small-scale projects by providing them with specialized training and follow up of their businesses by a team of specialists.

Omar Qura, assistant at Birzeit University Resource Development Unit: This program is excellent. It opens perspectives for graduates and trains them on skills required for the labor market. In partnership with Sharek, we seek to further expand the program to serve the largest possible number of students. Its success is evident in its continuity, since it responds to a pressing need in the market.

Tha'er Hamayel, public relations director at Palestine Bank: A Step Forward Program is very useful for students. The most important element in the program is that it breaks the barriers between the academic experience and practical experience in the labor market by allowing the students a chance to get familiar with companies and the market. My experience with Sharek in A Step Forward Program proves the fact that students benefit a lot from the program. This is especially true for students of banking and financial sciences, who lack information about their field of specialty, as the program has managed to support them in getting such information.