On 20 July 2022, CLUSTER project partners gathered for the first time presentially in Amman, Jordan, and online, for a meeting to take stock of CLUSTER activities and agree on the steps forward to continue achieving the goal of advancing youth and women social inclusion in the Mediterranean.

The partners discussed the great achievement of reaching 440 young people, specially women, under the coordination of ARCES Association (Italy), when mapping their labour needs in 7 Mediterranean countries. 

While continuing to develop Curricula to train young people in four sectors of sustainable economy (aquaponics, hydroponics, organic farming and food processing) to reduce the mismatch between the labour market demand and youth skills, the next activities of CLUSTER were launched during the meeting.

In the following months, under the guidance of Business Women Forum, CLUSTER partner in Palestine, two Catalogues will be produced, one oriented to TVET (Technical and Vocational Education and Training) institutions and one to the private, industry and enterprises sectors. The Catalogues will transfer the knowledge and know-how on the new curricula for training and coaching of young unemployed people, to key stakeholders in the 7 countries in which CLUSTER operates, while also building networks and partnerships among those actors.

Moreover, a mapping of the policy frameworks related to TVET institutions and programmes in each country targeted by the project will be carried out based on interviews with representatives of public institutions and desk research, under the coordination of the General Agency for Regional Development in Tunisia.

The meeting was a great occasion to advcance connections among CLUSTER partners, while also renewing their commitment towards the empowerment of young people, especially women, in the Mediterranean.