1. Overview of Program Director at Mercy Corps
Market access and cross-border business partnerships
 Studies:
o Market Mapping: Identify areas for business partnerships, niche areas of cooperation,
market needs and third party investment prospects by market assessment and mapping of
the Palestinian and regional ICT markets.
o Palestinian (ICT) companies GAP analysis: to develop their capacity and to help them
compete in the global market.
 Objectives/Activities
o Increase market access and demand for Palestinian products and services
 Promotional website and marketing materials.
 B2B meetings, Networking workshops and conferences.
 Business Development and Marketing Unit.
o Improve the quality of products and services produced by the Palestinian ICT
industry
 Quality Management Training:
 CMMI (Capability Maturity Model Integration) training and certification
 20 CEO and team leaders benefited.
 Project Management Training and certification (PMI).
 13 senior managers benefited.
Graduate training to foster youth employability
 Provide Palestinian ICT professionals with market demanded technical skills
o Mobile programming:
 J2ME (13), iPhone bootcamp (14), advanced iPhone development (15)
o Web and Application Development: Database & SQL, Advanced PHP
 25 ICT Professionals benefited
o Cisco certified Network Administrator CCNA level 1,2,3,4
 145 graduated, 95% employment
 Improve Palestinian ICT Professionals exposure to International markets and ICT culture
o Organize visits of ICT experts and influencers to Palestine
o Participate in regional and international networking events and ICT trade expos
o Organize visits to multinational companies’ facilities.
 Provide newly graduated students with practical and on the job training.
o Subsidized apprenticeship training at local and regional ICT companies.
 95 apprentices at local Palestinian companies
 31 apprentices at International IT companies

2. Entrepreneurship and Start-up support
 Enhance youth entrepreneurship, marketing and business skills
o Team-Start business creation program to provide entrepreneurs with mentorship,
business creation and acceleration support
 93 professionals benefited.
o Entrepreneurship Workshops: for entrepreneurs and technologists to exchange
knowledge, knowhow and initiate new businesses
 Startup Weekend (150 ICT Professionals Participated)
 Hackathon (70 software developers participated)
o Access to investment capital: Improve opportunities for Palestinian entrepreneurs to
establish high growth knowledge-based businesses
 Seed-fund as investment in start-ups and business expansions ($200,000
invested, 6 startup companies created)
o Self-employment opportunities: Create platform for freelance developers to sharpen
their skills and earn money.
 Arab Developer Network Initiative (ADNI) in partnership with Google
ICT capacity building of TVET institutions
Improve the quality and relevancy of the service provided by TVET Institutions.
 Improve the overall quality of services provided by institutions
o Management Information System
 9 institutions Financial management systems
 4 Human resources management system
 3 Inventory and Assets management systems
 8 students records keeping and class room management system
o ICT Infrastructure,
 Networks installations
 Computer workstations and office equipment
 Software
 Network servers
o Staff training
 Server administration
 MS Office
 Web content management
o Online Resources
 Online Employment System
 Online Career Resource Center
 Virtual Training Resources Library

3.  Improve the training capacity of the TVET Institutions
o Five Cisco certified training academies were established
 Training facilities infrastructure rehabilitation (4 institutions benefited)
 Computers, lab equipment, network and software (5 training labs equipped)
 Online International certified training curriculum and materials.
 ITE
 CCNA level 1,2,3,4
 Network security
 Teaching aid equipment (2 Interactive smart boards, 3 LCD projectors)
 Training and certification of trainers.
 2 Cisco certified Maser Trainers
 8 Cisco certified trainers
o Three Microsoft IT Centers were established
 Training facilities infrastructure rehabilitation (2 institutions benefited)
 Computers, lab equipment, network and software (3 training labs equipped)
 Online International certified training curriculum and materials.
 Digital literacy
 Microsoft Office
 Advanced applications and web development
 Teaching aid equipment (1 Interactive smart boards, 2 LCD projectors)
 Training and certification of trainers.
 10 Trainers were trained and certified
o Entrepreneurship & Business training course: On-line entrepreneurship and business
skills training course (Bader Online)
o Intel Learn Program: to extends learning opportunities beyond the classroom using an
engaging project-centered approach
 Technology and Community: to tap into youth’s interest in their communities
and feed their curiosity with creative, technology-driven projects.
 Technology at Work shows learners how computers are used in a variety of jobs
and careers
 Technology and Entrepreneurship Using Internet tools and office applications,
learners research and formulate a business idea. Then they create and present a
business plan for that idea