News

Last week, the VU team welcomed colleagues from Lebanon and Slovenia as part of the EU-funded STRIPES project. This initiative builds on previous efforts, including the ‘Brighter Futures’ project (2020-2023), during which VU Amsterdam collaborated with CIS College, Lebanon’s largest Technical and Vocational Education and Training (T-VET) institution, and INMAA, an educational non-governmental organization (NGO). IRADA and Berytech are involved in the partnership as representatives of the Lebanese private sector. IRI UL from Slovenia ​offers its expertise in university-industry collaboration to support Lebanese organizations. The collaboration seeks to ensure that vocational education aligns with industry needs, thereby improving employment opportunities for graduates.

Yara Kabalan, a graphic design student at CIS Group Lebanon, won the STRIPES logo competition with an elegant and meaningful design. The competition, launched on February 21, saw over 20 entries, narrowed down to 6 by the CIS College’s department of arts committee. Yara’s logo, summarizing teamwork, employment, the physical center, and training aspects, was chosen through a voting process involving project partners. Her passion for visually expressing concepts shone through, and she dreams of becoming a professional in fine arts. This win contributes to the STRIPES project’s brand identity and its impact on the community.

The three-day kick-off consortium meeting of the STRIPES project took place remotely during the thrid week of Februrary 2024 (13th, 14th and 16th). initiated in December 2023, the STRIPES project includes partners from Lebanon (CIS College, INMAA, IRADA in Berytech), the Netherlands (Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam), and Slovenia (IRI UL). Despite the lack of face-to-face interacion, the meeting maintained high quality. We dedicated time to getting to know each other and also engaged in planning, idea-sharing, and discussions about project’s direction.