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STRUCTURES AND MECHANISMSFOR INFORMATION AND NEEDSFORECAST ON TRAININGQUALIFICATION AND EMPLOYMENT

THE OBSERVATORY FUNCTIONSYRIA

THE EUROPEAN TRAINING FOUNDATION IS THEEUROPEAN UNION’S CENTRE OF EXPERTISESUPPORTING VOCATIONAL EDUCATION AND TRAININGREFORM IN THIRD COUNTRIES IN THE CONTEXT OFTHE EU EXTERNAL RELATIONS PROGRAMMES

HOW TO CONTACT US

Further information on our activities, calls for

tender and job opportunities can be found on

our web site: www.etf.eu.int.

For any additional information please contact:

External Communication Unit

European Training Foundation

Villa Gualino

Viale Settimio Severo 65

I – 10133 Torino

T +39 011 630 2222

F +39 011 630 2200

E [email protected]

STRUCTURES AND MECHANISMSFOR INFORMATION AND NEEDSFORECAST ON TRAININGQUALIFICATION AND EMPLOYMENT

THE OBSERVATORY FUNCTIONSYRIA

MARCH 2002

This draft report was produced by European Training Foundation with the involvement of

Ms. Eva Jimeno Sicilia, Syrian country manager, Mr. Olaf McDaniel, and Mr. Mustafa Kazziha

during the second half of 2001 and reflects the situation at that date.

TABLE OF CONTENTS

INTRODUCTION 5

1. THE SYRIAN SOCIO-ECONOMIC CONTEXT 7

1.1 The new direction of the Syrian economy 7

1.2 A distorted labour market 9

1.3 Limited role of “social partners” 10

2. SHORT OVERVIEW OF THE VOCATIONAL EDUCATION AND TRAINING SYSTEM

IN SYRIA 13

2.1 The Syrian education system 13

2.2 Delivery and governance of vocational education and training: main actors 14

2.3 Continuing training and attitude of firms towards vocational educationand training 15

2.4 The relevance of vocational education and training system tolabour market needs 16

3. THE OBSERVATORY FUNCTIONS IN SYRIA 19

3.1 The state of the art of the observatory functions in Syria:the institutions, the products, the clients 19

3.2 Analysis of the situation regarding the observatory functions in Syria 24

4. CONCLUSIONS AND RECOMMENDATIONS 25

ANNEXES 29

3

INTRODUCTION

BACKGROUND

The speed of technological developmentand the globalisation of trade and industryare rapidly modifying the type and nature ofthe skills required by the employers andthe society in general. Therefore, the needfor flexible training systems that are able torespond to new economic developmentrequirements is increasing.

In such a situation it becomes particularlyimportant for the countries themselves andthe donor community to have access toreliable and relevant analysis, based oninformation compatible with internationalstandards. Sound analysis on labourmarket requirements and socio-economictrends that can support the definition andimplementation of long-term humanresource development policies, includingVET and labour market reforms, becomesvital.

The information requested should inparticular serve to link economicdevelopment and labour market evolution,with the new qualification requirements andprovide structured advice on futuredevelopments, options and scenarios todecision-makers.

To this end, one of the main priorities of theEuropean Training Foundation over thepast six years has been to act as a catalystand to support the long-term developmentof systems in partner countries in order toproduce information on vocational andeducation training (VET) systems andlabour market. The ETF has, therefore,developed a considerable wealth ofexperience through its activities in Phareand Tacis regions.

As part of its regional framework of activity2001-2003, the ETF included amulti-annual activity aiming at reinforcingMediterranean partner countries’ capacitiesfor information and needs analysis andtheir ability to forecast requirements in theareas of training, new qualifications andemployment (the observatory function).

The objective of this activity is twofold: (a)to reinforce the Mediterranean partners’national policymaking capacities in VET,labour market and employment throughinstitutional building and expertisesupporting actions targeted atobservatory-type institutions; and (b) toenhance regional potentials for networkingand exchange of information and goodpractice on VET and employment betweenthe Mediterranean partners themselvesand with the member states.

In 2001 an initial analysis of the existingsituation regarding the observatory functionin the Mashrek region was carried out. Inaddition, a pilot initiative to establish acoordinated network, taking the form of aninter-institutional observatory, waslaunched in Algeria.

In 2002 a similar stocktaking activity will befinalised for Morocco and Tunisia andspecific support for capacity building willtake place in most of the Mashrek regioncountries and in Algeria. In addition, theETF intends to set up a regional(understood as multi-country) networkfunction aiming at the exchange of goodpractices, methodologies and techniquesbetween countries in the region. Thenetwork should also serve to put incommon first results and experiences inthe implementation of the observatoryfunction project.

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AIMS AND METHODOLOGY OFTHE REPORT

As mentioned above, the first phase of themulti-annual activity consisted on astocktaking exercise. The present report ispart of it. The aim of the report is to identifythe current institutions/mechanisms forinformation and needs forecast onemployment, qualifications and training inthe partner countries. This includedfunctions such as compilation, provision,production and analysis of data in the fieldof training and labour market. The reportprovides an analysis of the strengths andweaknesses and, on that basis, makesrecommendations for further strengtheningand developing of these functions.

Commonly to most of the stocktakingexercises, the methodology used has beena combination of desk research followed byfield visits to relevant stakeholders (cf.Annex 2). To reinforce the need to reflectthe local situation, the ETF has worked inteams with national experts.

An important feature of the analysis wasthe networking aspect of the observatoryfunction, that is, the existence, nature andstrength of the links between training andemployment partners (such as relevantministries, employers’ association, tradeunions, training providers and nationalstatistical offices).

In the case of Syria, the observatoryfunction stocktaking exercise was carriedout in parallel to a wider research on theSyrian VET system and its relevance tolabour market needs. Both reports shouldbe seen as complementary. For furtherinformation on the Syrian VET systemcountry report please address the ETF.

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS

The ETF would like to thank the localEuropean Commission delegations and thepeople interviewed throughout the processfor their availability, guidance and input.

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STRUCTURES AND MECHANISMS FOR INFORMATION AND NEEDS FORECAST ONTRAINING QUALIFICATION AND EMPLOYMENTTHE OBSERVATORY FUNCTION SYRIA

1. THE SYRIAN

SOCIO-ECONOMIC CONTEXT

The Syrian socio-economic contextpresents some specific elements thatexplain the present situation regarding the(limited) relevance of the information onemployment, qualifications and trainingneeds. Three elements can be underlinedthat will be further explained in the sectionsbelow:

� The first element is the currentundergoing changes the Syrianeconomy which would make difficult (orrender meaningless) any attempt toextrapolate significant information onthe current labour market conditions tothe near future.

� The second element is the nature of thelabour market in Syria and the existenceof certain factors that distort the freeconvergence of supply and demand.One of those factors is the large size ofthe informal sector, estimated at 40% ofthe total number of workers. The searchfor reliable labour market data and therelevance of any labour market data (bydefinition based on the formal sector)

would, under the above conditions, bequestionable.

� The third element is the limited role ofSyrian social partners. Social partners(employers and employeeorganisations) in Western countries arean important element in the processesof labour market information analysisand in providing input to narrow the gapbetween vocational education andtraining and the labour market. In Syriasocial organisations do exist(Chambers, trade unions) however theirrole in labour market informationprocesses and in vocational educationand training in particular is ratherlimited.

1.1 THE NEW DIRECTION OFTHE SYRIAN ECONOMY

According to the World Bank classification,Syria is a lower middle-income country.1

The GDP per capita was estimated in 1999at US$1,030 (approximately �1,160).2

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1

1 UNIDO, 1996, Country Support Strategy: Syrian Arab Republic.

2 Source: Economist Intelligence Unit Report, July 2001.

It has one of the highest population growths(2.6%) in the region, which will increase thepopulation from an estimated 17 million toapproximately 32 million by 2025.

The composition of the GDP per economicsectors is as follows: agriculture (29%),industry (22%) and services (49%). Thisonly partly matches the labour force byoccupation: agriculture 40%, industry 20%and services 40%.3

As is well known, the Syrian economy isbased on a centrally planned model with alarge public sector. Although statisticsregarding the respective contributions ofthe public and private sectors to GDP arehard to come by, many estimate that theprivate sector contribution to the GDP ishigher than that of the public sector (thefigure of 70/30 was put forward by one ofthe interviewees). The situation is reversedin terms of the respective contributions toemployment: the public sector remains themain employer in the country.

A changing situation

The economy of Syria is undergoingsubstantial changes although the pace ofeconomic reform is still gradual.

The trends towards globalisation have notleft the Syrian economy untouched. Syriahas ambitious economic policies, and thecountry participates in the network ofMediterranean partnership countries thatare aiming to establishment an open tradezone by the year 2010. Other commercialagreements are being discussed withcountries in the region.

The country is at a crossroads as far asfuture developments are concerned. Wherethis should lead to, or what in specificterms should be done, is still for manyfields under consideration. A certainnumber of assumptions are, however, clearand widely accepted:

� The Syrian economy has evolvedpredominantly into a model of low wageand low skill production.

� The economic actors (public and privatesector) are well aware that if the country

is to survive in a global market theeconomy needs to move towards highervalue added and higher quality to itsproducts and services. This would implya shift towards a higher qualifiedworkforce. The future economicdirection will, therefore, require a majorshift in the educational system for futuregenerations as well as the presentworkers.

� The economic system and its actors donot have a history of market orientation.Not having been subject to muchcompetition in the past, productivitylevels are, in many fields, low andproduction methods are notcost-effective, let alone competitive.

� The future role of the public economywill gradually have to follow that pace ofchange and become better skilled, moreproductive and more efficient. In fact,public enterprises will have to besubjected to a fundamental review ifthey are to avoid becoming a millstonearound the neck of future economicdevelopment.

In the past, in a planned economy, manyorganisations were “planning” the future.The economy developed, more or less,along the lines set by the authorities. Thegeneral guidelines for production were themarkers for the resource planning,including the need for graduates of certaindisciplines.

As explained above, the Syrian economy ismoving towards a more open marketeconomy, which may mean a morepromising but also a more uncertaineconomic future. Obtaining relevant dataon labour market development, futureeconomic growth indications for the keysectors of the Syrian economy and theexpectations on the desired outcome of theeducation system is very difficult.

Several reasons hinder good forecasts:

� Economic development forecasts ingeneral terms (for instance, growthrates, expected inflation) is a difficultissue. Also, in the western world moremistakes are made in the futureeconomic prognoses than in any other

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3 Source: www.cia.gov/cia/publicaitons/factbook/geos/sy

sector. This is even more valid for acountry that is seeing a rapidly changingeconomy.

� In an economy with a growingmarket-orientation and given the newgovernmental policies, it is expectedthat the private sector will grow and, insome sectors, could gradually replacethe large-scale public industries. In thiscomplex situation, in which governmentstill protects public industries (forinstance by pricing policies), anyprediction on the development ofeconomic sectors is no more than agamble.

� This effect is strengthened by thesearch in Syria for the concept of “themarket”. Traditionally production wasonly to a limited extent market drivenand highly planned. The invisible handof the market makes it even moredifficult to make decent projections forthe (near) future.

1.2 A DISTORTED LABOURMARKET

The current population of Syria is17,460,000 inhabitants, of which no lessthan 41% are in the age group 0-14 years.

The total number of workers in 1999 inSyria was estimated at 4,095,000 (maleand female) of which no less that 43% inthe informal sector.

As mentioned before, the structure of thelabour force by occupation is estimated at40% in the agriculture sector, 20% in theindustrial sector and 40% in services.Precise data on public versus privateemployment was not available but the stateremains the main employer in the country.Data at regional or local level are notavailable.

The difference in payment between thepublic and private sector is substantial.According to the statistics the wages paidin the private sector are twice as high forunskilled workers, three times as high forsemi-skilled workers and four times as highfor highly-skilled workers. Civil servantwages (including teachers) are in the pricerange of semi-skilled workers.

It has proven difficult to find predictions onthe future of the labour market in Syria andthis is for several reasons directly linked

to the structure and mechanisms of the

labour market:

As explained before, Syria still has a largepublic industrial sector. These industriesare centrally directed and steered. Humanresources management policies are carriedout by the government. While thesepolicies may have some social benefits(e.g. employment security), they do notcontribute to the understanding of the truemarket needs nor to the formulation ofsuccessful economic and employmentpolicies.

� The “culture” towards information: thefocus of data compilation has oftenbeen for registration purposes, and notfor policy design reasons. One exampleof this is the responsibility of theMinistry of Labour and Social Affairs forunemployment, whose activities have,until now, focused on the registration ofunemployed. The existing informationhas not been used for development ofother active or passive employmentpolicies.

� Of a totally different, but most important,order is the large-scale informal sectorin Syria.

The informal workforce

A complex factor in the understanding ofthe economy in general and the labourmarket in particular, is the existence of amassive informal sector. As mentionedabove, 43% of the workforce has a place inthe informal market, and the numberseems to be increasing (from 40% in 1995to 43% in 1999). There is no unifieddefinition of the informal sector, but thedefinition that is applied in Syria in thecensus of 1999 expressed those who are“playing a role in the economic activitiesoutside the institutions”. That implies allsmall units and individuals producing anddistributing goods and/or services, workingfor their own, with a very small capital(even without any) using primitive methodsthat need low level technologies and lowskilled workers.

9

1. THE SYRIAN SOCIO-ECONOMIC CONTEXT

The existence of the informal sector can beattributed to the high population growthrate, the slowly developing economy, thelack of adequate services and/or newprojects in rural areas and thenon-conducive environment for businessstart-ups. The strong craftsmanshiptradition in the country can also be one ofthe reasons behind the existence of arelevant informal sector.

Main economic fields covered in theinformal sector are agriculture, transport,mining and converting industries, trading,maintenance, building and construction,sewing, household, food preparing andserving, and personal services. Agriculture(41%), building and construction (24%) andtrade (14%) cover 80% of the informalsector. The high proportion in theagriculture sector can be explainedbecause 63% of the workers are located inrural areas, where agriculture is thedominant economic activity.

Over 50% of the workers in the informalsector are of the 15-29 age group, andabout 19% are aged 15 to 19 years. Thislast group points at a high drop-outpercentage from secondary education.

It may come as no surprise that theeducational background of most of theinformal sector workers is low. Around 77%of the total number of informal workers hasan educational level below primary school,some of those are even not able to readand write and are, therefore, highlyvulnerable.

1.3 LIMITED ROLE OF “SOCIALPARTNERS”

In many of the western countries, socialpartners as representatives of theemployers and employees play animportant role in both the vocationaleducation and training system and thequalitative and quantitative questionsregarding the labour market and its futureneeds.

In Syria, as explained below, comparablestructures exist. However, in an economicsystem in which an important part is still

government-owned, it must be understoodthat the function of an employerorganisation is obviously different fromrepresentative organisations of privatecompanies. The same applies to employeeorganisations: within a public industry, thetrade unions are organised differentlycompared to trade unions of privateindustries and their centre of interest isdifferent.

Employers are organised around regionalchambers (of industry or commerce).Registration is compulsory in order to carryout specific transactions, etc. Publiccompanies are under the supervision of theMinistry of Industry. They are organisedunder the umbrella of the so-called“general establishments” according todifferent trades (electric, food industry,etc.). These umbrella organisations(including the chamber) have rather anadministrative role than a negotiating rolefor policymaking.

According to the legislative decree No 84of the year 1968, the workers of any tradehave the right to form a union to act ontheir behalf, and all these unions are underthe umbrella of the federation that takesthe responsibility as an organising andcoordinating body. Enrolment of anyworker (above 15 years) is allowed only inone of the unions, but it is not obligatory,for both public and private sector.

These organisations are funded viaenrolment fees and monthly contribution ofthe members, state allocations, gifts anddonations and investment of availablecapital.

Their responsibilities and activities aredefined as follows:

� Protecting and developing theproduction (rights and duties) of bothsides employer and employee.

� Participating in capacity building of theworkers.

� Improving and maintaining workersaffairs (health, culture, financial andsocial).

� Arranging activities and contacts withinternational organisations.

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De facto, the involvement of both tradeunions and chambers in vocationaleducation and training issues is verylimited.

In short, the functions of both employerorganisations and trade unions as “socialpartners” are fairly administrative andrather limited in terms of influence in thevocational education and training system

and the collection/analysis of economicdata, at least in comparison to most EUcountries. It must be recognised howeverthat the chambers are an important sourceof quantitative information on theentrepreneurial tissue of the country, basedon the registration databases. Somechambers have also participated, on an adhoc basis, in surveys related to keyeconomic sectors.

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1. THE SYRIAN SOCIO-ECONOMIC CONTEXT

2. SHORT OVERVIEW OF THE

VOCATIONAL EDUCATION

AND TRAINING SYSTEM

IN SYRIA

2.1 THE SYRIAN EDUCATIONSYSTEM

The Syrian education system is made up offive stages: preschool, primary (grades 1 to6), preparatory (grades 7 to 9), secondary(10 to 12) and post-secondary (or tertiary)education. The 1973 constitutionguarantees free education for all, at alllevels,4 and stipulates compulsoryeducation at primary level, that is, until theage of 12.

Almost 100% of children reachingcompulsory school age attend the first yearof primary school, the exception being thenomad population. However, and in spite ofthe widespread provision of school facilitiesand the high attendance, the literacy rate isstill at 71%, with a considerable differencebetween men (85.7%) and women(55.8%).

The Syrian vocational education and

training system contains basically twosections, one at the secondary level(vocational secondary school) and one atthe post-secondary level (intermediateinstitutes).

First level: Secondary vocationaleducation and training (grades 10 to 12).Secondary vocational education andtraining programmes last for three years.Secondary vocational school graduatesqualify with a vocational secondarycertificate as skilled workers. Thegraduates can either join the labour marketor continue their studies at post-secondaryvocational education and training institutesor (in a very limited number of cases) atuniversities.

Second level: Post-secondary vocationaleducation and training (grades 13 to 15).Post-secondary vocational education andtraining is provided at technical

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2

4 A recent decree allows the set-up of private universities under payable basis.

intermediate institutes. Post-secondaryprogrammes last for two years. Entryrequirements include a general orvocational secondary school degree.Intermediate institute graduates qualify with“high grade technician” degree. After thatthey can join the labour market or (inlimited numbers) university studies.

The position of vocational education

and training in the Syrian educational

system is, in theory, an important switchpoint, leading from and to various followingroutes. In theory, because in practice theswitchboard function of vocationaleducation and training is limited strongly bythe current regulation. Vocationaleducation and training is in most cases anend route for students. It has, therefore,evolved into a second choice type ofeducation with limited connection to morepromising streams. The absence of alife-long learning facility makes it almostimpossible to re-enter the school system.

2.2 DELIVERY ANDGOVERNANCE OFVOCATIONAL EDUCATIONAND TRAINING: MAIN ACTORS

Secondary vocational education andtraining is given at technical secondaryschools. As many as 11 ministriesparticipate in the provision of secondaryvocational education and training.However, most of its provision (up to 90%)is under the Ministry of Education.

Sixteen ministries are involved in theprovision of post-secondary vocationaleducation and training, although themajority are under the responsibility of theMinistry of Education and Ministry ofHigher Education (approx. 35% and 20%,respectively). The Higher Council forIntermediate Institutes, under theresponsibility of the Ministry of Higher

Education, is the policymaking body forpost-secondary vocational education andtraining.

The regulation and organisation of the twosubsectors are under the overallsupervision of the Higher MinisterialCommittee for Technical Education andVocational Training, headed by the DeputyPrime Minister for Service Affairs andwhich comprises ministers from all theministries involved in vocational educationand training. A follow-up committee headedby the Ministry of Education, vice ministerfor technical education and vocationaltraining, acts as the executive body of theHigher Ministerial Committee.

The governance and administrative systemis highly centralised. Both secondary andpost-secondary institutions have verylimited autonomy: main decisions regardingthe educational supply, content, personnel,finance, equipment and building are takenby the central authority. Social partners arenot involved, the exception being the pilotapprenticeship scheme where a mixedcommittee with ministry and enterpriseinvolvement has been created ad hoc.

Vocational education and training in

figures

The overall intake of students in thevocational education and training system isdecided centrally by the Higher MinisterialCommittee. Following a decision in 2000,the distribution of preparatory schoolgraduates between vocational educationand training and general education waschanged to 50/50 (instead of the 70/30ratio established in 1988).

Given the fragmentation of the vocationaleducation and training system amongdifferent ministries, it is difficult to getoverall statistics figures in terms of numberof schools and students.

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The table below summarises basic figuresof vocational education and trainingprovision under the Ministry of Education:

Vocational education

and training secondary

schools

Year 19995

Number of studentsApprox.135,000

Number of schools 655

Number ofprofessions/specialisation

135

Technical intermediateinstitutes

Year 1999

Number of students

33,947(number ofsecondarygraduates

accepted ininstitutes)

Number of institutes 131

Number of professions 119

From the table above, one can alreadyconclude that the number and the averageof the institutions is one of the mainchallenges for the future.

The number of vocational education andtraining students is rising however.According to the interviewees, in nearly alltypes of vocational education and trainingeducation, student numbers increased overthe period 1990 – 1999. Participation in1999 is estimated at a level of around300,000 students in the various stages ofvocational education and training education(all ministries included). That, in itself, witha population of around 17 million people, isa rather low figure, compared to, forinstance, western European countries andneighbouring middle-eastern countries.The government has been trying for anumber of years to increase the number ofstudents and, as the figures show, hasbeen successful to a certain degree.

2.3 CONTINUING TRAININGAND ATTITUDE OF FIRMSTOWARDS VOCATIONALEDUCATION AND TRAINING

Syria has no organised system ofcontinuing training for the existing labourforce. If required, continuing training isgiven in the workplace, for instance if newequipment requires new skills andcompetencies, and organised by thecompany itself. Although according to theregulations the Ministry of Labour shouldorganise training for unemployed people,this in practice has not yet taken place.

There are, however, a number of coursesprovided by several ministries that cater fora small proportion of current workers andeducation drop-outs.

Alongside standard vocational educationand training provision in secondary schoolsand intermediate institutes, a number ofmore flexible vocational training coursesranging from two weeks to nine months areprovided regularly by other ministries,mainly the Ministry of Education, Ministry ofIndustry, Ministry of Building andConstruction and Ministry of Agriculture.Furthermore, short vocational in-servicetraining courses are provided by variety ofvocational training centres (VTC) underseveral ministries. These variety of

courses fall outside the regular

educational path and apply to only a smallpercentage of vocational education andtraining students. This training is alsofunded by the state.

For the sake of clarity it must be

understood that the above-mentioned

ministries (and many others) are also

involved in the provision of regular

secondary and post-secondary vocational

education and training under the formal

initial training system.

In the private sector, there are currentlyabout 400 centres distributed throughout thecountry which depend on fees received fromtrainees. They cover subjects likelanguages, computing, tailoring, motorvehicles and the like. This training provisionfalls outside the formal training system.

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2. SHORT OVERVIEW OF THE VOCATIONAL EDUCATION AND TRAINING SYSTEMIN SYRIA

5 Source: Ministry of Education report on Technical and Vocational Education in Syria 1999 - 2000 (in Arabic).

Attitude of firms towards vocational

education and training

Vocational education and training in itspresent state is not considered animportant part of the educational system. Insociety it is considered as a second choiceeducation. This is due, on one hand, to thearchitecture of the education system thatmakes vocational education and training adead-end route and, on the other hand, tothe lack of relevance of the educationprovided.

Companies are no different from the rest ofsociety. They commonly assume that theywill have to spend a certain amount of timeand financial resources in the retraining ofyoung graduates joining their services.

Another important limitation is that there islimited understanding among companieson the need and benefits of training. Mostof the private companies are small. Thesize and the family management style maybe behind this approach. By their naturethey are unlikely to have much interest inexternal support, in general, and training inparticular. Many of these companies do nothave outside capital, use locally-producedmaterials and sell in local markets, theinvestment in technology is low andtherefore the need for external support isnot felt. These companies are moreconcerned with survival than with the kindof long-term development that could justifyinvestment in training. Family ownershipimplies that the companies are family runand they are therefore not used to gettingadvice from outside the family or theimmediate circle.

In the case of bigger companies with aclear management structure, owners aremore willing to invest in training becausethey recognise the benefits. In this case theproblem becomes the lack of capacity toidentify the key training needs.

Both aspects (the recognition of thebenefits from training and thereinforcement of the training needs’analysis capacity) will need to bereinforced if a continuing training market isto be put in place.

2.4 THE RELEVANCE OFVOCATIONAL EDUCATIONAND TRAINING SYSTEM TOLABOUR MARKET NEEDS

The lack of responsiveness of thevocational education and training systemcan be attributed, on one hand, to thecurrent economic context in which itoperates, namely the changingenvironment from a centrally planned toopen market economy and to the labourmarket (centrally geared for a largeproportion and under informal economy foranother large proportion). In such a searchand changing context it is very difficult forvocational education and traininginstitutions to be responsive to the rightsignals.

There are also a number of elementsintrinsic to the present vocational educationand training system that hinder improvedconnection with the labour market.

1. The vocational education and trainingsystem is centrally managed with theinvolvement of a high variety ofministries, without the involvement ofthe social partners either at national orlocal level. At the same time, the largenumber of government actors involvedcalls for simplified managementmechanisms.

2. The gap between education in schoolsand the real world of work is substantial.Furthermore, there are few integratedmechanisms to fill that gap. (Limitedinvolvement of social partners inmanagement, design and delivery oftraining; no vocational guidancesystems; limited performance ofemployment services and labour marketinformation systems, etc.) Trainingprovision is almost fully school based(with the exception of the pilotapprenticeship scheme).

3. The educational model ismono-dimensional. It provides only(secondary) three-year courses and(intermediate level) two-year courses,while the labour market needs a widervariety of levels varying from assistantsto higher management levels. There isno clear qualification structure that

16


would satisfy the variety of skill needsand levels required by the labourmarket.

4. The high number of schools and theirlimited size hinder any possible qualityimprovements and bring down theoverall cost-effectiveness of the system.

5. The schools resources are quite limited.The educational climate does notpromote innovation. Teachers areworking under difficult conditions. Thepreservice training and recruitmentprocedures do not ensure the bestmatch of skills for the teachingprofession. Although some facilities forin-service training are available, there isnot a system that would allow aconstant updating of skills.

6. The present vocational education andtraining system does not represent anattractive alternative for generalsecondary education. For students whowould like to continue their studies aftercompleting the first or second cycle it ispractically a dead-end route.

7. Given the desire of economic progressand the shift from a low-wage, lowadded value production to a higherstandard and value-added products, theretraining of many adults will be theautomatic consequence. The presentvocational education and trainingsystem has limited potential to addressthe issues of life-long learning, includingthe continuing training of the existinglabour force.

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2. SHORT OVERVIEW OF THE VOCATIONAL EDUCATION AND TRAINING SYSTEMIN SYRIA

3. THE OBSERVATORY

FUNCTIONS IN SYRIA

In previous chapters, the specific nature ofthe Syrian socio-economic system,including its labour market and the Syriantraining system have been explained.From these, it can already be concludedthat the basis for human resourcesinformation, in terms of employment andqualification needs and its translation intotraining needs, is very narrow.

In the context of the European TrainingFoundation project, the observatoryfunction is understood as the production,gathering, analysis and interpretation ofinformation, dissemination and thecoaching of relevant stakeholders toincorporate relevant information into thevocational education and trainingdecision-making process.

3.1 THE STATE OF THE ARTOF THE OBSERVATORYFUNCTIONS IN SYRIA: THEINSTITUTIONS, THEPRODUCTS, THE CLIENTS

In Syria, basically three type oforganisations have responsibilities for thecollection of data that could be under theheading of this study:

� Each ministry has a statistical andplanning department that collectsinformation on the particular field ofinterest. Statistics are compiled forregistration and documentationpurposes. In general, they are notfollowed by any analytical work.

� The Central Bureau of Statistics (CBS)collects a massive amount ofinformation and publishes an annualyearbook (collecting statistical data fromdifferent ministries). It also collects dataon a five-year regularly organisedcensus, which also is an importantsource of quantitative information.

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3

The other observatory functions (analysis,interpretation, dissemination and coaching)are very poorly covered or non-existent.Few analyses are carried out, in mostcases on an ad hoc basis. Thedissemination is done via the publication of(some of the) statistics. The publicationconsists of compilation of data not targetedto a specific group.

Concerning the coaching function,understood as an advisory function on howto use the information available into thedecision-making process, for vocationaleducation and training issues it does notexist. As mentioned in previous chapters,the policymaking body for vocationaleducation and training is the HigherMinisterial Committee. The committee,under the Vice Prime Minister for Services,comprises the ministers involved intraining. The council does not haverepresentation from social partners. Thecommittee has an executive (or follow-up)committee, chaired by the Vice Minister forVocational Education and Training at theMinistry of Education, to implement thepolicy decisions. As such there is nocoaching or advisory body to the council.

Some of the interviewees during the studymentioned the fact that the decisions of thecommittee are often taken without ananalysis of the labour market needs(because that analysis does not exist). Asone of the interviewees put it, “decisions onthe distribution of students are taken on thefact that there is a block of students thatshould be accommodated in the educationsystem”. A new position of vocationaleducation and training consultant to theVice Prime Minister has now been createdwhich could mean an improvement or atleast a positive start.

It must be clarified that at present there

are no vocational guidance and

counselling systems in place. Aspreviously related, the links between thelabour market and the vocational educationand training system are quite limited. Thisimplies that any vocational guidance and/orcounselling system would be built onquicksand in Syria. In other words, there isa mismatch between the current system –based exclusively on two skill levels – andthe variety of skills levels required by thelabour market.

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� The State Planning Commission (SPC)is the most important ministerialorganisation in charge of the collectionof economical forecasts in the broadsense of the word. The SPC plays animportant role in the policy developmentprocess in Syria and in the coordinationof foreign aid. The SPC also does someforecasting in terms of, for example, the

number of new entries into the labourmarket based on different populationgrowth scenarios. Forecasting isoriented to quantitative results (numberof new entries) rather than qualitativechanges (type and level of skills).

In the following table these three type of

organisations are pictured:

Mechanism,

structure or

function

Organisational

profile

Mandate

and statute

Products of

information

Main

usersTechnical

staff

Central Bureauof Statistics(CBS )

Governmentalwith access to allministries andinstitutions

Presidentialdecree

Yearbook,periodiccensus, andindividualsurveys

The cabinet,someministries andprivateinstitutions

70

State PlanningCommission(SPC)

Governmentalwith access to allministries andinstitutions

Presidentialdecree

Differentstudies andsurvey results

The cabinetand thegovernmen t

40

Statistical andplanningdepartments indifferentministries

Departments inmost of theministries /organisations

Different lawsYearbook ofinformation

Central Bureauof Statistics 10-15

Equally, at present there are no

employment services or labour offices.In Syria, the Ministry of Labour and SocialAffairs is responsible for the unemployed.Although legislation suggests that thisministry should play an active role inlooking for jobs and/or the (re) training ofclients, in practice its work has beenfocused on the registration of those whoare unemployed. Even then, registration isnot compulsory and, since there are novisible unemployment benefits (forexample, no unemployment subsidy),people often do not register themselves.This also implies that official figures forunemployment tend not to correspond to

reality. The government has recentlyadopted a programme to fightunemployment, with special emphasis onyouth unemployment that could imply achange in the ministry’s role.

Looking at the products presented by

these organisations, the table belowsummarises the products in terms of theircontent, methodology, the type ofprocessing, frequency, regularity,publication, diffusion and accuracy. Itshould be noted that, as mentioned before,these publications predominantly presentthe data without further analysis.

21

3. THE OBSERVATORY FUNCTIONS IN SYRIA

Insti

tuti

on

/

pro

du

cts

Co

nte

nt

Meth

od

olo

gy

Pro

cessin

gF

req

uen

cy

Reg

ula

rity

Pu

blicati

on

Dif

fusio

nA

ccu

racy

CB

S/Y

ear

Book

of

Sta

tistics

Pro

vid

ing

necessary

sta

tistics

for

local

stu

die

sand

pla

nnin

g*

(see

belo

w)

Quantita

tive,

adm

inis

trative

record

s,census

and

/or

pro

jection

Manualand

com

pute

rised

Annual

Regu-lar

Yes

(to

offic

ial

secto

rs)

Num

ber

of

copie

sM

ediu

m

CB

S/

genera

lcensus

results

Popula

tion

indic

ato

rsQ

uantita

tively

,fa

cts

Manualdata

colle

ction,

com

pute

rised

pro

cessin

g

Every

undefined

num

ber

ofyears

Irre

gula

rY

es

(to

offic

ial

secto

rs)

Num

ber

of

copie

sM

ediu

m

SP

C/

indiv

idual

surv

eys

genera

lin

dic

ato

rsfo

rpla

nnin

g(m

ultip

urp

ose

)

Quantita

tively

,sta

tistics

Manualdata

colle

ction,

com

pute

rised

pro

cessin

g

Occasio

nally

Irre

gula

rN

oC

lose

tospecific

users

Mediu

m

SP

C/

analy

sis

for

som

ein

dic

ato

rs

Futu

repla

nnin

gin

dic

ato

rs(d

em

ogra

phic

s,

education,

em

plo

ym

ent

needs,and

labour

mark

et)

Para

mete

rs,

analy

sis

Com

pute

rised

Occasio

nally

Irre

gula

rN

oC

lose

tospecific

users

Mediu

m

*D

ata

on

the

follo

win

gfield

s:P

hysic

alfe

atu

res,popula

tion

and

dem

ogra

phic

indic

ato

rs,m

anpow

er

and

labour

forc

e,agriculture

,in

dustr

y,build

ing

and

constr

uction,tr

ansport

and

com

munic

ation,to

urism

,culture

and

info

rmation,fo

reig

ntr

ade,prices

and

inte

rnaltr

ade,education,health,ju

stice,coopera

tives

and

unio

ns,

finance

and

nationalaccounts

.

The

mate

rialis

colle

cte

dbasic

ally

from

the

follo

win

gso

urc

es

:

So

urc

ean

dit

sh

old

er

Po

pu

lati

on

of

refe

ren

ce

Fre

qu

en

cy

Reliab

ilit

yA

ccessib

ilit

y

Public

and

private

institu

tions

(CB

S)

Census

ofpopula

tion,

educationalsta

tus

Periodic

ally

Relia

ble

Availa

ble

for

offic

ialin

stitu

tions

Pro

jection

ofsta

tisticalfigure

s(S

PC

)Labour

forc

esurv

eys,In

dustr

ial

surv

eys

Occasio

nally

Relia

ble

(mostly

based

on

quantita

tive

facto

rs)

For

decis

ion-m

akers

22


The

finalis

sue

atsta

ke

isth

edescription

ofth

ere

levantsta

kehold

ers

for

the

train

ing

atnational,

regio

naland

local/secto

ralle

vel.

The

chapte

ron

the

vocationaleducation

and

train

ing

syste

min

Syria

describes

indeta

ilth

ety

pe

ofin

stitu

tions

incharg

eofdeliv

ering

train

ing

and

the

bodie

sre

sponsib

lefo

rpolic

ym

akin

g.In

Syria,

eig

ht

typ

es

of

insti

tuti

on

sare

resp

on

sib

lefo

rd

eliveri

ng

train

ing

:

Sta

keh

old

er

Org

an

isati

on

alp

rofi

leM

an

date

an

dsta

tute

Decis

ion

so

racti

vit

ies

Terr

ito

rialo

rsecto

ralle

vel

Depart

ments

indiffe

rent

min

istr

ies

(11

min

istr

ies

for

secondary

vocationaleducation

and

train

ing

and

16

min

istr

ies

for

post-

secondary

vocational

education

and

train

ing)

Centr

aland

regio

naloffic

es

Pre

sid

entialdecre

es

Runnin

gand

regula

ting

vocationaleducation

and

train

ing

schools

under

the

“form

al”

initia

ltr

ain

ing

syste

m,

both

atsecondary

and

post-

secondary

level

Terr

itorial

Tra

inin

gcentr

es

insom

em

inis

trie

sin

charg

eoftr

ain

ing

outs

ide

the

“form

al”

train

ing

syste

m

Regio

nalin

stitu

tions

Pre

sid

entialdecre

es

Runnin

gtr

ain

ing

centr

es

Terr

itorial

Labour

unio

ns

federa

tion

Centr

aldepart

ment

Legis

lative

decre

eR

unnin

gin

div

idualtr

ain

ing

cours

es

Secto

ral

Farm

ers

federa

tion

Regio

nalcentr

es

Legis

lative

decre

eR

unnin

gm

issio

ns

tocarr

yon

site

train

ing

Secto

ral

Wom

en

federa

tion

Regio

nalcentr

es

Pre

sid

entialdecre

eR

unnin

gcentr

es

for

train

ing

wom

en

on

som

eskill

sS

ecto

ral

Associa

tion

ofengin

eers

Regio

nalbra

nches

Law

Runnin

gre

gio

naltr

ain

ing

cours

es

Secto

ral

Cham

bers

ofIn

dustr

yR

egio

nal

Law

Runnin

gtr

ain

ing

cours

es

Secto

ral

Private

institu

tions

Regio

nal

Min

iste

rialperm

issio

nR

unnin

gin

div

idualunoffic

ial

cours

es

Regio

nal

23

3. THE OBSERVATORY FUNCTIONS IN SYRIA

3.2 ANALYSIS OF THESITUATION REGARDING THEOBSERVATORY FUNCTIONSIN SYRIA

From the information presented above, it isclear that although the quantity of thematerial collected is high, the relevance

for labour market policies and/or

vocational education and training

planning is weak. Some reasons linked tothe Syrian socio-economic situation are atthe root of this problem (see chapter on theSyrian socio-economic context).Furthermore, and as pointed out before,most of this material has at its starting pointno intention to serve that role. Datacompilation is mostly done for registrationand documentation purposes. This in itselfhas to do with the lack of local mechanismsto make that data available (lack ofvocational guidance, employment services,social partnership, etc.). Beyond that thereis also a need for local capacity buildingregarding methodological approaches todata compilation and analysis and to raiseawareness on the use of that analysis forpolicy development.

As mentioned before, the coaching functionis not yet developed. This has also to dowith the fact that stakeholders are often notused to taking decisions on the basis ofsystematic analytical information and,therefore, the need for that function is notyet felt.

Linked to the coaching function, it isimportant to stress that there is not yet anestablished network of stakeholders thatcould make use of that data forpolicymaking. The main policymaking bodyfor vocational education and training iscomposed of ministerial representativesinvolved in training, without representativesfrom the social partners and/or the world ofwork.

In other words, the challenges phasing thedevelopment of an observatory function inSyria are to start at the awareness raisinglevel on the need and use of relevantanalytical information, in other words, at anunderstanding of the meaning and use ofobservatory function. At a second stage,the development/strengthening of anetwork of training and labour marketpartners that can best put that informationin use and the development of localcapacities for data analysis would be apriority.

The institutions currently gatheringstatistical data should obviously be part ofthe network but it is unlikely that theywould, by their mandate and culture,develop into an observatory hub.Furthermore, institutionally they may not berepresentative enough, either from thetraining or from the labour market side.

24


4. CONCLUSIONS AND

RECOMMENDATIONS

Syria is still at what has been called“informal generation” stage with regard tothe observatory function: there is no singleinstitution in charge of compilation,production and analysis of data. Thefunctions of data gathering and productionare represented by three types oforganisations: Statistical departments atdifferent ministries, the Central Bureau ofStatistics and the State PlanningCommission. Although quantitativeupdated data is gathered, the existing dataon training and employment are limited andforecast studies are carried out on an adhoc basis. The culture of informationgathering has often been for registrationpurposes rather than analysis and forecast.

The basis for human resourcesinformation, in terms of employment,qualification and training is, at the moment,quite narrow.

The study has put forward a number offactors due to the current economic

situation, the specific nature of the

labour market and the limited social

partnership. These factors can besummarised as follows:

� The economy is undergoing majorchanges from a rather centrally plannedeconomy to a more market-orientedsystem. The limited informationcurrently available regarding the labourmarket (including the prognoses) is stillpredominantly related to the timeframein which the economy had a centrallyplanned character. Its value for themarket direction in the coming years isthus very limited.

� The present labour market presents anumber of “distorting elements” : even ifit is possible to make statisticalpredictions, they may have littlerelevance. Amongst those elements thelarge size of the informal workforce,estimated over 40%, is probably themost easily recognisable. The searchfor relevant data, directed to desiredchange in policies, will address lessthan 60% of the labour force.

� Syria still has a predominant publicindustrial sector. These industries are

25

4

centrally directed and steered. Humanresources policies are also carried outby government. This system may haveclear social benefits (for example,employment security). However, interms of the formulation of a successfulpolicy it does not contribute to theunderstanding of the true market needs.

� Limited role of social partners in labourmarket and vocational education andtraining issues. Social partners (as weknow them in western Europe) do notexist to the level that existingorganisations of employers and tradeunions could easily take the role to bean intermediate between the labourmarket and the educational system.Although employee and employerassociations exist in Syria, they play anadministrative role rather than apolicymaking role. Presently thechambers (especially the DamascusChamber of Industry) are emerging butthe links with the government and/orvocational education and traininginstitutions are not yet clearly structuredso that information can be fed back intothe system.

From the vocational education and trainingsystem, some actors also hinder theestablishment of proper observatoryfunctions:

� All important decisions, including thecontent of the curriculum, are takencentrally by government agenciesinvolved in training (represented at theHigher Ministerial Committee). Thegovernments’ understanding of themarket or, in a more broader sense, theeconomic needs is no better than that ofany ministerial bureaucracy in othercountries, thus limited.

� The absence of compensatingmechanisms of vocational educationand training institutions to find their wayinto the changing demand of regionallabour market requirements (such asinvolvement of social partners in designand/or delivery of training, or on theschool management), hinders effectivegovernment policies strongly.

Recommendations

In the current Syrian context, it is difficult tofind easy answers with regard to the issueof observatory function.

� Taking into consideration the Syrianreality three important actors should

be involved in the further developmentof the observatory function in thecoming period. They are pictured in thefollowing figure.

26


Educational content

EconomicDevelopment

VETInstitutions

RegionalChambers

GovernmentBodies

The regional chambers of industry andcommerce should play a key role in thatprocess especially because of the fact thatSyria lacks recognisable “social partners”that could play a role in the interplay ofeducation and the labour market. For thecollection of national labour market data,the present collecting services should bepart of the network.

Vocational education and traininginstitutions should be involved in thesearch for and interpretation of labourmarket information. Their role in such asearch could be instrumented by givingthem a role in the scanning of the regionalrequirements. The “interpretation of labourmarket information” should lead to acurriculum that caters for the required skillsand competencies and an entry policydirected to the needs of the labour market.

Government bodies should include theministries involved in training and labourmarket issues, the coordinating bodies andstatistical offices.

All three main actors (vocational educationand training institutions; regional chambersand government agencies) could, in thesearch for an optimal stimulation of theobservatory function, be facilitated tostrengthen the key elements that are thebasis of their relationship. In other words,the next step into the observatory functionshould be to facilitate the relations in theabove picture.

� A first recommendation would be theneed for a first phase of awareness

raising on the meaning of theobservatory function. Following that andconsidering the very specific Syriancontext, there is a need to reinforce thenetwork of training-employmentstakeholders. This would allow adiscussion on the country needs interms of labour market information forVET decision-making.

� In the reformation of governmenteconomic policies, the “local level” (beit a region or a smaller identity) is themost important level of economicdevelopment. Hence, the strategyshould be directed more towards abetter understanding of the regional

needs. National data are of more limitedimportance.

� Linked to the above (the local approach)and for reasons linked to their mandateand their institutional representation, itis not recommended to extend the

function of the existing organisations

performing data collection to labour

market/training analysis. They should,however, be part of the network of keystakeholders and provide the basicstatistical data needed for any analyticalstudy.

� In that sense, it could be recommendeda reinforcement of local capacities interms of methodologies for datagathering and analysis.

Short-term recommendations

� Start with a first phase ofawareness-raising on the meaning ofthe observatory function. This could bedone via a number of seminars withrelevant national stakeholders. Theyshould be confronted with some existingexamples of observatory functions inother countries and how those functionsare used for vocational education andtraining policy design.

� The seminars should also serve toidentify the key network of stakeholders(government bodies, vocationaleducation and training institutions,social partners) to be involved in theprocess of definition of the observatoryfunction in Syria. This network couldbe institutionalised in a small taskforceled by a key figure in the country.

� These seminars and other intermediatemeetings should lead to theidentification of specific needs in termsof relevant labour market informationneeded for vocational education andtraining policy design and on that basisdesign a clear action plan for theobservatory function development inSyria over 2003 - 2004. This action planshould be presented to keystakeholders at the end of the year.

� Given the relatively complicatedinstitutional set-up, it is of paramountimportance that all elements proposedabove are well managed, facilitated anddirected from one focal point that will beaccepted by both the training and labour

27

4. CONCLUSIONS AND RECOMMENDATIONS

market partners. Considering the pilotcharacter of the action and thinking onthe possible future dissemination andon the recommendations that will bedrawn from it, it would be advisable thatthe overall coordination is done from apolicymaking body with decision-makingcapacity.

� Parallel to the recommendations aboveand at another level, the exchange ofexperiences and discussions atinternational/regional level oncomparable content, standards andstandardisation/formatting of informationis also recommended.

28


ANNEXES

ANNEX 1.STATISTICAL DATA

A. Main economic and social indicators

A.1 Economic data6

GDP: purchasing power parity - $42.2 billion (1999 est.)

GDP - real growth rate: 0% (1999 est.)

GDP - per capita: purchasing power parity - $2,500 (1999 est.)

GDP - composition by sector:

� agriculture: 29%

� industry: 22%

� services: 49% (1997)

Population below poverty line: 15%-25%

Household income or consumption by percentage share:

� lowest 10%: NA%

� highest 10%: NA%

Inflation rate (consumer prices): 2.3% (1999 est.)

Labour force: 4.7 million (1998 est.)

Labour force - by occupation: agriculture 40%, industry 20%, services 40% (1996 est.)

Unemployment rate: 12%-15% (1998 est.)

Budget:

� revenues: $3.5 billion

� expenditures: $4.2 billion, including capital expenditures of $NA (1997 est.)

29

6 Source is also http://www.cia.gov/cia/publications/factbook/geos/sy.html#Econ

Industries: petroleum, textiles, food processing, beverages, tobacco, phosphate rock mining

Industrial production growth rate: 0.2% (1996 est.)

Agriculture - products: wheat, barley, cotton, lentils, chickpeas, olives, sugar beets; beef, mutton,eggs, poultry, milk

Exports: $3.3 billion (f.o.b., 1999 est.)

Exports - commodities: petroleum 65%, textiles 10%, manufactured goods 10%, fruits andvegetables 7%, raw cotton 5%, live sheep 2%, phosphates 1% (1998 est.)

Exports - partners: Germany 14%, Turkey 13%, Italy 12%, France 9%, Lebanon 9%, Spain(1998 est.)

Imports: $3.2 billion (f.o.b., 1999 est.)

Imports - commodities: machinery and equipment 23%, foodstuffs/animals 20%, metal and metalproducts 15%, textiles 10%, chemicals 10% (1998 est.)

Imports - partners: Ukraine 16%, Italy 6%, Germany 6%, Turkey 5%, France 4%, South Korea,Japan, US (1998 est.)

Debt - external: $22 billion (1999 est.)

Economic aid - recipient: $199 million (1997 est.)

Currency: 1 Syrian pound = 100 piastres

Exchange rates: Syrian pounds per US$1: 50.6 (2001); 46 (1998); 41.9 (1997);

Fiscal year: calendar year

A.2 Social data7

Facts and figures regarding the population:

Population: 17,460,000 (2001)

Age structure:

� 0-14 years: 41% (male 3,410,417; female 3,210,215)

� 15-64 years: 56% (male 4,688,967; female 4,476,022)

� 65 years and over: 3% (male 254,448; female 265,590) (2000 est.)

Population growth rate: 2.58% (2000 est.)

Birth rate: 31.11 births/1,000 population (2000 est.)

Death rate: 5.29 deaths/1,000 population (2000 est.)

Net migration rate: 0 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2000 est.)

Sex ratio:

� at birth: 1.05 male(s)/female

� under 15 years: 1.06 male(s)/female

� 15-64 years: 1.05 male(s)/female

� 65 years and over: 0.96 male(s)/female

� total population: 1.05 male(s)/female (2000 est.)

Infant mortality rate: 34.86 deaths/1,000 live births (2000 est.)

Life expectancy at birth:

� total population: 68.46 years

� male: 67.35 years

� female: 69.64 years (2000 est.)

Total fertility rate: 4.06 children born/woman (2000 est.)

Religions: Sunni Muslim 74%, Alawite, Druze, and other Muslim branches 16%, Christian(various branches) 10%

Languages: Arabic (official); Kurdish, Armenian, Aramaic, Circassian widely understood; French,English somewhat understood

30


7 http://www.cia.gov/cia/publications/factbook/geos/sy.html#People

Literacy:

� definition: age 15 and over can read and write

� total population: 70.8%

� male: 85.7%

� female: 55.8% (1997 est.)

B. Labour market

B.1 Labour force and unemployment8

Labour force: 4.7 million (1998 est.)

Labour force - by sector: agriculture 40%, industry 20%, services 40% (1996 est.)

Unemployment rate: 12%-15% (1998 est.)

B.2 Distribution of the employed population by sectors9

Distribution of active labour force 1991

As % of GDP No %

Agriculture, hunting, forestry andfishery

30 917,000 28.2

Mining, quarrying and oil refinery 10 6,700 0.2

Manufacturing 5 456,200 14

Electricity and water 1 8,400 0.25

Construction 4 340,800 10.4

Trade, hotel industry andgastronomy

24 378,300 11.6

Transport and communication 9 167,000 5.1

Finance and insurance 3 24,700 0.76

Governmental, social and personalservices

14 951,000 29.2

Total 100 3,249,900 100

B.3 Wages and salaries in the public and private sector10

Status of occupationNominal income

(public sector) (private sector)

Unskilled or semi-skilled worker 1,000 2,000

Semi-skilled worker 2,500 7,000

Engineer 3,500 15,000

Civil service and administration 2,500 – 3,500

Teacher in governmental schools 2,500 – 3,500

31

ANNEXES

8 Source http://www.cia.gov/cia/publications/factbook/geos/sy.html#Econ

9 Regional Study on Labour Market Oriented Training – submitted to the Regional Economic DevelopmentWorking Group of the Middle East Peace Process – Country Monograph, Technical Education and VocationalTraining in The Syrian Arab Republic, September 1995, p. 6 (No information available regarding employmentby region).

10 Regional Study on Labour Market Oriented Training – submitted to the Regional Economic DevelopmentWorking Group of the Middle East Peace Process – Country Monograph, Technical Education and VocationalTraining in The Syrian Arab Republic, September 1995, p. 8.

B.4 Percent distribution of labour force by category’s age and sex, 199911

AgeUrban Rural Total

Male Female Total Male Female Total Male Female Total

10-14 1.7 1.2 1.6 2.9 8.8 4.2 2.2 6.0 3.0

15-19 11.3 5.8 10.5 14.1 24.7 16.5 12.7 17.7 13.5

20-24 13.9 17.0 14.3 14.3 18.3 15.2 14.1 17.8 14.7

25-29 13.9 19.3 14.6 14.0 12.7 13.7 14.0 15.2 14.1

30-34 12.8 18.0 13.5 11.6 10.0 11.2 12.2 12.8 12.3

35-39 11.0 14.8 11.5 10.0 8.7 9.7 10.5 11.0 10.6

40-44 10.0 10.2 9.6 8.5 5.2 7.8 9.0 7.1 8.7

45-49 8.1 7.3 8.0 7.2 4.0 6.5 7.7 5.2 7.3

50-54 7.0 4.0 6.6 6.0 3.3 5.3 6.5 3.5 6.0

55-59 4.0 1.5 4.1 3.5 1.8 3.1 4.0 1.7 3.6

60-64 3.0 0.7 2.7 3.2 1.3 2.8 3.1 1.2 2.7

65+ 3.3 0.2 3.0 4.7 1.2 4.0 4.0 0.8 3.5

Total 100 100 100 100 100 100 100 100 100

B.5 Percent distribution of labour force by sex, educational level and business

sector 199912

Work sector Elementary Preparatory Secondary

Post-

secondary

vocational

education

and

training

University Total

Governmental

M 13.0 24.1 43.4 70.6 58.6 23.7

F 6.8 45.5 70.4 92.0 74.9 36.5

T 12.0 26.7 48.1 97.1 62.2 26.0

Privateorganised

M 33.5 34.0 27.9 16.6 31.0 32.0

F 28.5 19.9 12.9 5.1 19.9 21.6

T 32.7 32.2 25.3 12.1 28.5 30.1

Privatenon-organised

M 52.9 41.6 28.3 12.6 10.0 43.8

F 63.3 34.5 16.4 2.5 4.2 40.9

T 54.6 40.8 26.2 8.6 8.7 43.3

Collectiveco-operative

M 0.6 0.3 0.4 0.2 0.4 0.5

F 1.4 0.1 0.3 0.4 1.0 1.0

T 0.7 0.3 0.4 0.2 0.6 0.6

Total T 100 100 100 100 100 100

32


11 Source: Central Bureau of Statistics, statistical abstract 2000, p. 77 – table 2/3.

12 Source: Central Bureau of Statistics, statistical abstract 2000, p. 83 – table 7/3.

C. Education

C.1 Global number of students in the technical and professional secondary schools,

and technical institutes, 1997 – 200013

Class 1997/98 1998/99 1999/2000

Secondarytechnical industrial

1st 13,743 13,147 15,840

2nd 11,405 9,807 11,501

3rd 10,214 10,236 11,099

Total 35,362 33,190 38,440

Secondary commercial

1st 10,217 11,471 11,430

2nd 8,195 8,751 10,240

3rd 7,934 8,204 9,070

Total 26,346 28,426 30,740

Secondary for woman

1st 15,168 16,071 17,103

2nd 12,006 11,662 12,380

3rd 11,807 10,789 10,340

Total 38,981 38,522 39,823

Total technical secondary

1st 39,128 40,689 44,373

2nd 31,606 30,220 34,121

3rd 29,955 29,229 30,509

Total 100,689 100,138 109,003

Professional industrial

1st 2,255 2,632 2,965

2nd 2,169 1,664 1,782

Total 4,424 4,296 4,747

Professional commercial

1st 0 0 0

2nd 0 0 0

Total 0 0 0

Professional for women

1st 0 0 0

2nd 0 0 0

Total 0 0 0

Total professional

1st 2,255 2,632 2,965

2nd 2,169 1,664 1,782

Total 4,424 4,296 4,747

Global technical and professional 105,113 104,434 113,750

intermediate institutes,technical industrial

1st 2,960 3,178 3,393

2nd 2,087 2,472 2,561

Total 5,047 5,650 5,954

Intermediate institutes,technical commercial

1st 1,194 1,434 1,499

2nd 968 1097 1,294

Total 2,162 2531 2,793

Intermediate institutes,technical female

1st 1,774 2136 2,286

2nd 1,669 1705 2,005

Total 3,443 3841 4,291

Total intermediate institutes

1st 5,928 6748 7,178

2nd 4,724 5274 5,860

Total 10,652 12022 13,038

Grand total 115,765 116456 126,788

33

ANNEXES

13 Source: Ministry of Education / Planning and Statistics Department.

ANNEX 2.LIST OF CONTACTS

Institution Contact person Title

Ministry of Education

Samir HabbabahDeputy Minister for VocationalEducation and Training

Hazwan Al WazDirector of Vocational Education andTraining Department

Ministry of Higher Education Omar Karmo Deputy Minister

Ministry of Industry / GeneralOrganisation for EngineeringIndustries

Ziad Kutayni General Director

Nidal Fallouh Assistant to General Director

Ministry of Labour and Social affairs Rakan Ibraheem Director of Labour office

State Planning CommissionSheih Oughli

Maher. Al Rez

Director of Labour Force andPopulation Department

Director of Training

Vice Prime Minister for ServicesOffice

Hatem Al HomsiAdviser on TVET Affairs to VicePrime Minister

Syria. Euro. Business Centre(SEBC )

Alf Monaghan Director

Nawaf Zeidan Training and Development Manager

Second Intermediate Institute A.K.Khudr Director

Bassam Hamsho School for Women’sEducation

Manal Bisharah Director assistant

First Commercial School Fakrieh delli Director assistant

Damascus Training Centre of Ministryof Industry

M.K.Jasayri Director

General Company for Cables Industry M. Balsheh General Director assistant

General Converting IndustriesCompany

Salah Zaza General Director

Al - Rasheed Factory (private) Haytham Al Yafi General Director

Al - Hafez Factory (private) Nael Hammami Production Director

Damascus Chamber of Industry

Samer Debs Chairman

Haytham Al Yafi Board member

Said Al-Halabi Consultant

34


ANNEX 3.STRUCTURE OF EDUCATION SYSTEM IN SYRIA14

35

ANNEXES

Age

23 22 21 20 19 18 16 15 13 12 11 10 9 8 6 5 4 31417 7

This diagram represents the first stage in the ongoing development of a standard graphical model for vocational education and training systems.Future refinement may include the further alignment of terms, student enrolment and dropout figure, and local language terms.

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14 Source: Report on Vocational Education and Training in the Syrian Arab Republic, Ministry of Education,1999 – 2000.

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