AID grant no. ANE-0159-G-SS-7050-00 to the American - Mideast Educational and Training Services, Inc. (AMIDEAST) in support of the human resources development project III in the West Bank and Gaza Strip

(AMIDEAST) to strengthen the capacities of local institutions in the West Bank and Gaza to address the problem of lack of employment for university graduates, and to support business development and new job opportunities through establishment of new business ventures, internships, and on-the-job training programs. The project will be implemented through five programs: institutional development; faculty development; business-university linkages; professional development; and small business development. The institutional development program will upgrade the administration and planning capacities of local institutions (including universities, hospitals, charitable societies, and businesses) through graduate scholarships, technical and local training, and provision of technical and material assistance. The faculty development program will finance ten M.S. scholarships, as well as technical and local training, and grants for sabbaticals, conferences, and applied research work for faculty of postsecondary educational institutions. Areas approved for training include agriculture, applied technology, business, education, engineering, English, library science, mathematics, medical technology, nursing, science, social work, sociology, and psychology. The professional development program will upgrade professionals in critical skill areas. Activities will include graduate scholarships, technical and local training, and applied research grants. The business-university linkages program will be implemented in two phases. A first phase will provide technical training to business employees in return for internship opportunities for university students. A second phase will assist businesses in creating on-the-job training programs with the help of faculty members from local institutions. Lastly, the small business creation program will provide TA, training, and material assistance to help potential entrepreneurs, primarily unemployed university graduates, to start new businesses. Existing businesses will be supported as well. Amendment of 5/2/94 adds a public law project to the institutional development program. The goal of the public law project will be to support study and debate about key legal issues involved in the transitional period leading to Palestinian autonomy in the West Bank and Gaza. The core activity will be eight technical workshops, mostly 2-3 days in length, for some 100 Palestinian lawyers and judges. The workshops will address both general legal issues (e.g., human rights law, Palestinian jurisprudence, legal procedures, and procedures for drafting legislation) and statutory issues (e.g., commercial, property, labor, environmental, and criminal law; law enforcement; women and the law). The project will also fund four visiting scholar/research consultancies to coincide with the workshops; six research studies on workshop themes, to be conducted by local organizations or individuals; eight public fora to discuss workshop results; and the publication of reports (in English and Arabic) on the workshops and consultancies. (PD-ABK-042)