The first YEP MED graduation ceremony for Lebanese trainees took place at the premises of the Beirut Chamber of Commerce on the 7th of July 2021 . 33 students obtained the YEP MED Port Logistics Training certificate signed and delivered by the Beirut Chamber (Lebanon) and the Escola Europea (Spain). Taking advantage of the event, the Chamber also launched a call to the Lebanese maritime and logistics companies looking for young talents to recruit the young graduates for either internships or jobs.

The keynote speeches were given by the director general of the Beirut Chamber Rabih Sabra and the director of the Escola Europea Eduard Rodés. Both stressed the importance of creating opportunities from the current crises to overcome the challenges faced today by Lebanese young people. The EU funded YEP MED project, together with its developed port logistics training modules that will continue throughout the lifetime of the project, represents one of those opportunities that allow young Lebanese women and men to develop new skills and facilitate their entries into the local workforce.

It is worth underlining the impressive participation of Lebanese young women who took up the challenge to undergo logistics training – a field that has been for a long time exclusive to young men. This YEP MED Certification is not the end of the YEP MED trainees’ journeys. The Beirut Chamber in partnership with the Escola Europea will start preparing for the apprenticeship programmes in collaboration with local Lebanese logistics companies to facilitate access to either internship programmes or job opportunities in the blue economy sector for the young graduates.