When Opportunity Is Designed to Include

For many young people, work begins with a skill. This also applies to employers who require young people to master a skill before offering them employment. For Ibrahim and Mohamad, it began with something even more important: being recognized for what they could do and being offered the support they needed to do it.

Across Lebanon, young people with disabilities are often not offered the same opportunities to access skills development, practical experience and employment as other youth. Barriers in education, training spaces, and workplaces can limit their choices, even when their motivation, talent and potential are clear.

Through UNICEF’s Learning to Earning programme, funded by the German Government through KfW Development Bank, vulnerable young people are gaining market-relevant skills, practical work experience and pathways to income and employment - including young people with disabilities, who are often excluded from equal opportunities to learn, work and build more independent futures.

From agricultural training to employment

In West Bekaa, Ibrahim, 20, joined a UNICEF supported grapevine training course at an organic farm under the L2E programme. Living with a physical disability affecting movement in his hand and leg, he had been looking for work but faced major barriers in finding an opportunity that could accommodate his needs.

During the training, Ibrahim learned practical agricultural skills, including grapevine pruning and simple farm-care tasks. The learning environment allowed him to participate fully, while the employer adapted working conditions to support his needs, including flexible hours and breaks when needed. Moreover, the life skills training boosted his self-esteem and strengthened his motivation to succeed.

“Before, I wanted to work, but I did not know where I could fit,” Ibrahim says. “Now, I feel that I can contribute and support my family.”

Today, Ibrahim is employed at the farm, earning a monthly income, and supporting daily agricultural work. For him, the opportunity is more than a job. It is a step towards independence, confidence, and greater participation in his community.

Sewing Skills: A routine that became a responsibility

In Tripoli, Mohamad, 19, found his path through sewing. Living with autism, he joined a competency-based training course under the L2E programme after showing strong interest and motivation to learn.

With the right support around him, including a safe training environment and accompaniment when needed, Mohamad gradually became part of the group. He attended regularly, engaged in the training and developed a clear preference for socks production, where he could focus and work with precision.

“I like this work,” Mohamad says. “I can learn, I can work and I can be with others.”

After completing his training and practical work experience, Mohamad transitioned into employment. He now works three days per week, earning an income while maintaining the routine and social connections that are important to him.

For Mohamad, employment is not only about income. It is also about structure, belonging, and the confidence that comes from being trusted with a role.

The difference, support, can make

Ibrahim and Mohamad have different stories, skills, and aspirations. But their journeys carry one shared message: inclusion requires more than access. It requires the right support, suitable learning environments, and employers who are willing to adapt.

For Ibrahim, this meant learning agricultural skills in a workplace that understood his physical needs.
 For Mohamad, it meant finding a rhythm of work that respected his routine and supported his growth.

Together, their stories show what becomes possible when young people with disabilities are given the support, accommodation and opportunities they need to participate, contribute, and thrive.

Learning that opens more than one door

Through the Learning to Earning programme, UNICEF, with funding from the German Government through KfW Development Bank, supports vulnerable youth in Lebanon with skills development, practical work experience and pathways to income and employment.