YEP MED Working Group Meeting at Beirut Chamber in presence of ESCOLA EUROPEA

Within the progressing activities of the EU funded project YEP MED, Mr. Rabih Sabra, Director General of the Beirut Chamber welcomed yesterday the 2^nd working group meeting of YEP MED in presence of Mr. Eduard Rodés, Director of ESCOLA Europea, lead partner of YEP MED project and Marco Muci, Country Manager of the project in Italy. Mr. Sabra stressed on the importance of the YEP MED project in this crucial time after Beirut blast and the potential opportunities that would be offered for youth to work in the promising blue economy sector. From his end, Mr. Rodes presented the context of the YEP MED project and the digital platforms and smart tools created within the project to ease the logistics and international maritime trade procedures.

The working group meeting brought together the key port community stakeholders, namely Mr. Ziad Kenaan CEO of BCTC, Mr. Walid Lattouf, President of Lebanese Syndicate Forwarders, Mr. Elie Zakhour, president of the International Chamber of Navigation, Mr. Antoine Gharios representative of CMA CGM, Mrs. Sawsan Wazzan Board Member of the Orphanage Dar Aytam Al Islamiya and Mr. Marcel Hinain, Vice-president of the American University of Technology. The meeting represented a relevant opportunity for the stakeholders who signed with the Chamber at the start of the project Memorandums of Understanding to deliberate insights and recommendations on youth employability in port logistics sector

Head of Development Projects at the Chamber, Hana Nehme, and the YEP MED Communication Manager Dory Abou Saab, presented the achieved milestones over the first year of the project lifetime, namely the implemented vocational and occupational trainings, the simulation digital solution ERP and the future collaboration pertaining to the upcoming Apprenticeship program of young trainees.

The mission of ESCOLA team will continue today with the Beirut port visit along with the trainers and trainees to explore the port operations and the Beirut Container Terminal facilities.