Vocational education is one of the most important pillars of development in any society. It is the gateway between knowledge and production, and between youth and the labor market. In Syria, exhausted by years of war and tyranny and the resulting political, economic, and social crises, there is an urgent need to reconsider vocational education as a national necessity for building the future, not a secondary option or a necessary solution. This is especially true given that this education provides young people with the practical skills and applied knowledge that qualify them to be productive and contribute to the reconstruction of their country and the achievement of sustainable economic stability.
First, it must be acknowledged that vocational education in Syria, despite its fundamental importance, suffers from deep and accumulated problems that have limited its effectiveness and weakened its standing in the public consciousness. This has negatively impacted its ability to support human and economic development. These problems begin with the cultural and social structure of society and extend to government policies, educational curricula, and the educational environment itself.
The vocational education crisis in Syria begins with a deeply rooted social outlook that continues to devalue manual and craft work. From the earliest years of school, children are instilled with the idea that true success means becoming a doctor or an engineer. As soon as a student sits in first grade, they are asked at home, “What do you want to be when you grow up?” They automatically respond, “I want to be a doctor!” As if this is the only path to respect and success, some teachers themselves—motivated by this—write the familiar phrase “Persevere, Doctor” on the notebooks of their outstanding students. But the important question is, where have all the other professions on which society is based gone? This culture has become so entrenched that manual professions have become synonymous with the lower ranks. I remember a young man, a few years ago, who enrolled in the College of Veterinary Medicine after receiving good grades in high school, a respected science college. However, one of his friends from the College of Electrical Engineering sent him a sarcastic message saying, “We have a cow that needs to give birth. Get ready.” This seemingly innocent joke epitomizes the tragedy of a social consciousness that despises professional work and excludes anyone who chooses a non-academic path. In contrast, advanced societies are based solely on a balance between the doctor and the worker, between the engineer and the craftsman, each of whom has a role to play in building the nation. The picture becomes even bleaker when we turn to school curricula, which often unwittingly contribute to the reinforcement of negative stereotypes. Instead of presenting manual professions as a fundamental economic pillar, lessons address them from a perspective of empathy and compassion. Students are asked to empathize with the sanitation worker or the simple worker as a victim, not as a contributor to development. Most Syrians probably remember the lesson about sanitation workers in elementary school. This cold, emotional discourse overlooks the importance of professional work as a human and developmental value, while simultaneously perpetuating a derogatory perception of professions.
At the level of institutional policies, the lack of employment equity and wage discrimination between graduates of vocational institutes and graduates of theoretical colleges represent an additional discouraging factor. Institute graduates are often assigned tasks similar to those performed by engineering college graduates, with significant disparities in wages and benefits. This discrimination reflects the government’s lack of appreciation for technical professions and leads to further aversion to vocational education. The historical and cultural factors that govern the traditional vocational learning environment cannot be ignored. Vocational training in workshops often takes place in harsh environments that lack educational and perhaps even humane standards. Trainees are treated in humiliating ways by those locally known as “teachers.” Physical or verbal punishment is used as a means of discipline and instruction. Phrases such as “Take him off and let him become a teacher” or “You’re an animal!” express a cultural heritage deeply rooted in the vocational environment, stripping trainees of their dignity and making the profession a source of humiliation rather than pride. Such behavior undermines young people’s self-confidence and alienates them from professions that are supposed to be the foundation for building the future.
Economically, low wages and unsuitable working conditions make matters worse. Permanently dirty uniforms, primitive equipment, and poor financial returns leave workers in these sectors feeling socially excluded and foster negative stereotypes about manual professions, viewing them as symbols of poverty and marginalization, rather than productivity and giving.
Overcoming these challenges requires a radical overhaul of awareness, curricula, and policies. Society cannot change its view of vocational education unless curricula reflect its true value and developmental role. Curricula are the mirror that shapes the awareness of future generations. Therefore, they must be thoroughly reviewed and updated to keep pace with the needs of the labor market and the requirements of the reconstruction phase in modern Syria.
New curricula must include lessons that highlight the role of craft professions in building society and advancing the economy. Professions must be presented as an honorable and important path to national development, not as a forced option for those who have been unsuccessful in academic education. This can be achieved by including educational modules that tell the real-life success stories of craftsmen who contributed to the reconstruction of destroyed cities, and through field activities where students are introduced to vocational work environments and participate in simple practical training that provides them with real-life experience and a sense of accomplishment.
Curricula must also be updated to keep pace with modern technological transformations, including fields such as programming, design, engineering, renewable energy, recycling, and entrepreneurship. These fields can open up new job prospects for young people. Modern vocational education is no longer limited to carpentry and blacksmithing, but now encompasses smart industries and technical services. It is important for students to learn how to apply their skills to create practical solutions to their community’s problems, rather than simply being task-takers.
To achieve the desired balance between theory and practice, it is essential to leverage the pioneering German experience in this field. In Germany, students in public education undergo regular vocational training throughout their academic careers and are required to spend a one- to two-week practical training period in a workshop, company, or institution of their choice. This experience provides students with a direct understanding of the nature of work and provides them with real-life skills that qualify them to seamlessly enter the job market after graduation. Such a model, based on the integration of school and the job market, enhances students’ professional readiness and makes them more aware of the reality of the profession and its actual requirements. At the same time, curricula are supposed to contribute to instilling the human and social values upon which professional work is based, such as respect for manual effort, discipline, team spirit, responsibility, and adherence to professional ethics. These principles constitute the ethical framework that gives the profession its profound human meaning and recalls its status as a pillar of societal life, not merely a means of livelihood. Including communication skills, small business management, and innovative problem-solving in vocational education will prepare a generation of professionals capable of thinking and creativity, not merely implementation. Today’s skilled worker has become both an economic and intellectual actor. Because true reform cannot be achieved through education alone, the state is called upon to establish fair policies that improve the work environment and ensure fair wages and rewarding incentives for vital professions, particularly in the construction, energy, and technology sectors. When decent working conditions, modern training facilities, and appropriate educational environments are provided, this directly impacts the quality of outputs, gives professions a positive image, restores their respect, and encourages young people to enter them with confidence and pride.
Reforming vocational education in the new Syria is neither an intellectual luxury nor a secondary option. It represents a national necessity for building a productive and balanced society capable of facing economic and social challenges. Hence, developing curricula to meet market needs, linking education with practical training, and enhancing the status of vocational work in the collective consciousness are essential steps on the long road toward rebuilding the Syrian human being. Vocational education is not merely a narrow academic path; it is a true bet on the future and an investment in human dignity before it is in stone and infrastructure. Homelands are built by the efforts of their children, by minds that master as well as think, and work as well as create.
Scientific Office
Independent Researchers
Articles
By: Saddam Farhan Al-Mustafa
