Bethlehem, Palestine – November 2025
As part of its commitment to strengthening vocational education and training ecosystems, the VET4Social Impact project successfully implemented the Entrepreneurial Centres of Vocational Excellence (EntreCoVE) Training Programme in Bethlehem, Palestine, during November 2025.
The training was delivered across four face-to-face sessions (6, 10, 24, and 27 November 2025) at the Bethlehem Chamber of Commerce and Industry, complemented by structured online self-paced learning. The programme was facilitated by Usama Khalilieh, an experienced local trainer, and targeted professionals working within the TVET ecosystem, including managers, trainers, project coordinators, and institutional representatives.
A Comprehensive and Contextualised Training Programme
The training programme covered four core modules of the Entrepreneurial CoVE framework:
- Entrepreneurial Mindset & Culture
- Strategic and Institutional Capacity
- Creative and Innovative Thinking
- Stakeholder Engagement
A blended learning approach was applied, combining 16 hours of face-to-face training with 9 hours of online learning. To ensure accessibility and engagement, the sessions were delivered in Arabic, with all training materials adapted and translated to reflect the local context and participants’ needs.
The training methodology emphasised participatory and practical learning, including group discussions, case studies relevant to the Palestinian TVET landscape, hands-on exercises, and peer feedback. A dedicated WhatsApp group supported ongoing communication, follow-up, and mentoring during the online learning phase, enabling participants to overcome technical and contextual challenges.
Strong Engagement and Measurable Learning Outcomes
Across the four sessions, participation ranged from 14 to 21 participants, representing 13 different organisations. Engagement levels remained high throughout the programme, with participants actively contributing insights, sharing institutional challenges, and exploring how entrepreneurial thinking could be embedded within their own organisations.
Pre- and post-training self-assessment results revealed a significant positive shift in participants’ competencies across all four modules. Notably, post-training results showed a marked increase in “Good” and “Very Good” ratings, alongside the near-complete elimination of reported knowledge gaps. Participants reported particularly strong gains in areas such as stakeholder mapping, design thinking, SWOT analysis, and institutional strategy development
Beyond skills acquisition, participants expressed heightened motivation and confidence to drive change within their institutions, underlining the practical relevance and transformative potential of the training content.
Despite contextual challenges—such as mobility restrictions and financial constraints affecting some participants—the training fostered strong commitment and resilience. Participants’ determination to engage and learn, even under difficult circumstances, was highlighted as a powerful success story in itself.
Laying the Groundwork for Sustainable Impact
The Bethlehem training demonstrated the effectiveness of the Entrepreneurial CoVE framework in building institutional capacity, fostering innovation, and promoting entrepreneurial culture within the TVET sector. Recommendations emerging from the programme include the need for extended training durations, follow-up coaching, and tailored institutional support to further embed entrepreneurial practices.
By empowering TVET professionals with practical tools, strategic frameworks, and renewed motivation, the VET4Social Impact project continues to lay strong foundations for sustainable, inclusive, and innovation-driven vocational education in Palestine and across the region.
