A dialogue session was held on Thursday, April 17, 2025, at the headquarters of the Libyan Industry Union as part of the assessment phase of the EU4SKILLS project. This phase aims to evaluate the needs of stakeholders in preparation for designing project activities aligned with the project’s objectives to enhance graduates’ skills, increase their employability in more diverse sectors, and improve access to finance.

The session, chaired by Mr. Ali Nasir, CEO of the Libyan Industry Union, was held in the honorable presence of several stakeholders and relevant institutions, including Mr. Aref Al-Qajjiji, CEO of the Libyan Businessmen Council, Ms. Dalal Al-Hudhiri, representative of the Libyan Labor Market Authority, and Mr. Mohamed Al-Aswad, Deputy Program Director at Expertise France. Also present were representatives from the Civil Society Department of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation, the Libyan private sector, and members of the UNIMED team and the Expertise France team in Libya.

The session featured important opening remarks and included fruitful discussions in which participants addressed the practical and technical skills required in the labor market, as well as the most promising sectors for the development of the Libyan economy. Participants also reviewed the challenges employers face in the hiring process, emphasized the importance of relying on local talent, supporting training programs, and explored effective mechanisms to bridge the gap between the outcomes of higher, technical, and vocational education and the changing needs of the labor market.

This session, along with previous dialogue sessions targeting higher education institutions and the financial sector, represents an important step in the preparatory process for implementing the upcoming activities of the EU4SKILLS project. The project is funded by the European Union with co-funding from the French government and implemented by Expertise France in cooperation with a group of Libyan institutions.