“Eventually; we have had a vocational education unit built at our school. It is for the training in the field of information technology -mobile application specialization” the student, Yousef Al Taweel, ardently told.

Islamic Relief have made a significant improvement to the physical and educational environment of three schools in Gaza Strip as part of its interventions in the vocational and technical education and training sector through the project of “Enhancing Youth Employability (EYE) through Developing Labor Market Oriented TVET System in Gaza Strip” which was funded by Islamic Relief- Britain.

Islamic Relief has rehabilitated three vocational and technical units in the IT sector, for the specializations of “Graphic Design and Mobile Applications” in the targeted schools. Also, Islamic Relief provided the three schools with the necessary equipment, technology and furniture.

“As students, this upgrading and improvement to our school increases our enthusiasm and love for learning and encourages us to come to school early” Yousef stated.

“Islamic Relief has provided the school with all the modern equipment needed for our study and we use it to learn the different technology and mobile applications. Further, it has made some marked improvements in our section. We did not expect this change; it was not the case when I enrolled in school” Yousef added

Actually; the improvements made by Islamic Relief in the targeted schools have contributed to improving the educational achievement of students and developing their personalities and skills. “I am an outstanding student, but I used to find it hard and exhausting to learn the scientific subjects without practical application of what we have learned. The school was lacking the modern learning tools and technologies. Now, the improvements in the school has reflected positively on the educational level of students as well as their spirit. My results used to be 93% but I obtained 89% this year” Yousef said.

“In the past, we used to deal with scientific subjects theoretically. It was very boring and we did not enjoy the lessons. After our school has benefited from Islamic Relief, we are able to do the practical application of what we have learned”.

“Scientific benefits has become greater, and we can better invest our time rather than wasting time in writing without practical application” Yousef stated

Islamic relief has not only provided schools with the modern equipment and apparatus such as computers, tablets and smart projectors, but Islamic Relief has also done maintenance and renovation of the centers and classrooms. This included painting works, electrical installations, maintenance of windows and doors and fixing curtains.  “Islamic Relief is keen to provide appropriate learning environment for students” Yousef added

“We felt very hot in the summer but now the rooms are air conditioned, and in winter we felt very cold windows were broken, but now, thankfully, new windows have been installed, and the furniture is comfortable for us as students for us for learning and sitting for long hours.”

The experience and skills that the students have acquired in these units enable them to join the labor market after graduation from high school directly and to practice the scientific specialization they have received, and students can join university in all scientific disciplines to complete their studies.

Developing the curricula and capacity building of teachers and developing two vocational training workshops in the vocational training center in Rafah in the construction sector for the fields of building bricks and blacksmithing, which aims to provide a distinct training educational environment for students to acquire the necessary professional and technical skills that improve their chances of future work.