Public-private partnership (PPP) in vocational education in Palestine : the national policy process and a case study of its implications for Tulkarm Secondary Vocational School

Abstract

Abstract Public-Private Partnership (PPP) is a new educational concept in the Technical Vocational Education and Training (TVET) system in Palestine. The research examines how the national policy process on PPP in vocational education have been designed as a policy and implemented in practice, and also takes a case study of Tulkarm Vocational Secondary School. The main concepts are PPP and the policy cycle. The research was conducted in Palestine from May to July 2016 using qualitative methodology. The in-depth and expert interviews were conducted with 32 key informants from the public sector (n=15); private sector representatives (n=5); Non-profit Organizations (n=2); experts (n=3); individual private sectors (n=3); a large private company (n=1); school graduates’ success stories (n-2); and the international implementing agency/donor (n=1). The three focus groups were composed of 11 teachers, 20 students from the school, and 15 students who are graduates of the school. The research highlighted that a key challenge to implementing the PPP on the National TVET Strategy is the exclusion of local actors. The strategy was dominated by the public sectors and the donors without a significant role for the private sector representatives and the local actors. Transforming informal cooperation into formal PPP is more efficient to link students with the market and increases the commitment of the students and the private sector during the students’ training period; builds trust between the private sector and the school as enhanced skills and knowledge increases the demand for graduates; and defines actors’ responsibilities and roles to minimize risk and thereby enhance cooperation, such as in occupational safety, encountered in informal cooperation. As a result, the PPP increases employability and economic development in the local market. The research argues for the inclusion of teachers, local TVET staff and local businesses in the national policy process for effective implementation and sustainable PPP projects, and the inclusion of the Ministry of Finance and the Ministry of National Economy for financial sustainability.