Established In 2020, the Career Advancement Center seeks to provide Palestinian youth (age 15-35) in Jerusalem with safe educational and work spaces aimed at enhancing their professional identity and developing their skills to meet the job market demands and to attain better opportunities for their future careers and professions. It also aims at fostering resilience among youth in East Jerusalem, by enhancing their coping and resilience mechanisms and empowering them to reach their full potential. 

In order to achieve this, the CAC provides a comprehensive package of services that is aimed at transforming the skills of youth for developing a better future, following the EJ-YMCA model for vocational rehabilitation for youth that relies on three interrelated elements; career counselling, vocational assessment, and upskilling and employability, to enable youth to develop a vocational identity that would lead to success and satisfaction at the personal identity level and the career level. 

Our Services: 

Skilling and Employability 

Develop and provide a set of soft skills and life skills training modules, focusing on leadership, communication, conflict resolution, negotiations, work ethics…etc, as well as 21st century skills, such as digital literacy, digital marketing, social media for business, languages, labour law, taxation, etc.  that match the rapid changing demands and needs of the labour market.

Career Counselling and Vocational Assessment 

The CAC provides career counselling and vocational assessment, utilising international standardised tests such as Holland Code for career testing and Valper test for physical and mental assessment. These tests help youth to identify and explore their mental and physical capacities and personal inclinations and link this to potential future career paths or professions. 

Commercial Revitalization 

The CAC provides hands-on targeted services based on client needs, e.g. market-related functions and small business management. This will be rolled out based on a help-desk scheme where businesses request particular services that the CAC can help fulfill. 

Working stations

The CAC provides a complementary open workspace for youth equipped with laptops and free internet connection. These work stations are dedicated for youth to use for study and research.

Classrooms Rental

These classrooms are to support organizations for providing equipped facilities for their training programs. The CAC has 3 classrooms with a capacity range between 15 to 40 persons, equipped with high-tech smart boards, free internet connection and other logistical services. 

Sports for Development

The CAC utilises sports for youth development, through emphasising soft skills for positive sports participation anchored in a motivational and caring sport climate. The CAC offers youth a promotional package of membership to the sports center at the EJ-YMCA. 

JAI works to engage a large number of people in programs and advocacy work to create and develop country-based networks, to be a resource advocacy program on Palestine, to empower and engage Palestinian youth to participate in the JAI activities and to work for peace and justice.

Following the 1948 Palestinian Nakba, the Vocational Training Center, was established to serve the marginalized and deprived youth living in the refugee camp of Aqbat Jaber, after being forced from their homes and villages. The program initially provided primary education and recreational activities for children in 1949. After UNRWA developed its educational and health services for the refugees in the area, the school was turned into a vocational training center in 1950, 480 boys were enrolled at the time. The center was officially opened in 1952.

Nowadays, the VTC works on poverty reduction through empowering youth from across Palestine to access the labor market and earn income. This is achieved through the provision of enhanced access of marginalized Palestinian youth, with consideration to inclusive approaches of gender and persons with disabilities, to quality technical and vocational education, and the advancement of their engagement in short term market oriented vocational training opportunities at the VTC. 

Our Services:

Vocational Training Program: The VTC offers several vocational training programs for young people coming from the different Palestinian governorates. The program includes: Carpentry, Metal work, General painting, Auto mechanics, Electrical installation and solar energy, Sanitary installation and pools filtration, Air conditioning and Refrigeration, Graphic design, Accounting and Office Management, Food production, Sustainable agriculture, and Natural soap and cream production.

Career Counselling: In addition to the practical training, the VTC provides vocational and career counselling to enhance employability opportunities for the young graduates.  

Dormitory services: the center provides accommodation for students coming from across the West Bank Governorates, to ensure a wider geographic reach and access to services. 

Day care nursery: in order to encourage women’s enrollment in the vocational training program, the center provides day care nursery for the children of the women beneficiaries.  

The Program fosters agency among women and men to participate on equal terms to realize their economic, political, cultural, and social rights.