During today's closing session of the Erasmus Conecte project, Rabih Sabra, the Director General of the Chamber of Commerce of Beirut and Mount Lebanon, delivered a compelling speech, emphasizing the chamber's pivotal role in this key educational project. He stressed the chamber's dedication to upgrading youth skills and improving their employability, in spite of going through hurdles posed by the pandemic and Lebanon's economic struggles. A notable success Sabra emphasized was the implementation of the dual work-study pilot program, modeled after the French system but tailored to the Lebanese context, aimed at providing students with valuable practical and professional learning experiences while supporting their academic costs.

Furthermore, Sabra highlighted the chamber's instrumental role in conducting surveys to assess SMEs' competences requirements and interest in these work-study programs, thereby ensuring that training is aligned with the needs of the market. Sabra concluded by noting that over the past four years, the Conecte project achieved remarkable results, a testament to the collective efforts of all academic partners, including the Ministry of Education and USJ, lead partner of Conecte.