UCAS conducted many educational field visits as part of HELIOS Blue and Circular training

As part of conducting the face-to-face training in the HELIOS project, The training coordinator in HELIOS project:  the community service and continuing education center at the university college of applied sciences UCAS is holding on Thursday, the 23rd of December, different educational field visits to important settings in Gaza Strip associated with the sectors of blue and circular economy.

With the participation of more than 150 participants from 6 training groups distributed in the UCAS’s two main branches in Gaza and Khan Younis; accompanied with their 4 trainers, the visits target settings such as the Gaza’s seaport, Al Bahar (the fish farm), Azolla plantation farms in Beit Lahiya and the Maritime Museum of the General Administration of Fisheries.

The visits aim at highlighting the Palestinian fishing sector as one of the most important economic sectors in supporting the Palestinian national product and food security, by employing large numbers of fishermen, whose number, according to the Palestinian Ministry of Agriculture in 2021, exceeds 4,054.

Among the objectives of this visit is to see the extent of pollution caused by the waste of fishing boats and the non-compliance with environmental laws that support the preservation of the marine environment. In addition, the visits aim at shedding light upon the main challenges faced by hundreds of people who work in professions related to fishing, such as: fishmongers, mechanics, electricians, and boat builders, and fishing gear dealers to assess their economic situation.

It is worth mentioning that the HELIOS project tackles the Blue and Circular Economy (BaCE) which is identified as an economic sector with great potential for regenerative economic growth among NEETs. The project provides curricula for innovative targeted and tailored skills training courses oriented towards specific needs of the BaCE labour market and the needs of NEETs, based on direct interaction with local enterprises.