Palestinian educators have begun a series of national roundtables to address issues critical to the future of higher education in Palestine.  The nine roundtables, which began in September and will be held monthly through next May, draw together university faculty and staff, government representatives, and international experts to review international best practices in higher education and how to apply them to the local context. A major goal of the series is to promote the continuing professional development of current and future leaders of higher education in Palestine.

Professional development is key to improving and maintaining the cutting-edge skills and knowledge of professionals in their respective fields. Done in a strategic manner and over a period of time, it adds not only to the expertise of the individual trainees, but advances institutional capacity and sustainable development in critical ways.  This has been the case for the Professional Skills Training Program (PTP) in Lebanon, a 10-year, $1.7 million program implemented by AMIDEAST for the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID).

As the first country to recognize the United States, Morocco traces its friendship to America’s earliest days. In recent years, this longstanding relationship has entered into a new phase, flourishing in the area of commerce as a result of the U.S.-Morocco Free Trade Agreement (FTA), but also as increased travel and communication have drawn the two countries closer.

Social entrepreneurship and its potential for addressing social challenges was the focus of the first regional conference of the Tomorrow’s Leaders Scholarship Program, held in Beirut in June. During a period of sweeping change in the region, the topic was timely and appropriate for a gathering of 90 young Arab scholars, selected for the competitive program based on their commitment to community, leadership qualities, and academic achievement.

Training in marketable skills, including English, is a high priority for the Ruwwad Youth Empowerment Project in Palestine, a major USAID undertaking that has been under way since 2008 under the administration of Education Development Center, Inc. (EDC).

AMIDEAST embarks this fall on a significant expansion of its already substantial commitment to English language training. Joining forces with World Learning/SIT Graduate Institute, a global leader in the professional development of English language teachers, AMIDEAST will offer the new, U.S.-accredited  PCELT (Professional Certificate in English Language Teaching) for current and prospective English language teachers in the Middle East and North Africa.

INVESTING IN PEOPLE features stories of some of the thousands of individuals AMIDEAST worked with in 2010. Together with our partners and donors we worked to help thousands of individuals across the Middle East and North Africa access educational and training opportunities that will enable them to transform their own lives and bring positive change to their communities and societies. Learn about our activities in our 2010 annual report and read the stories of a few of the many individuals whom we proudly served this past year.

Women’s empowerment and inclusion are critical to the economic and political transitions currently taking place in Egypt and elsewhere in the Middle East. Specialized training programs such as the 10,000 Women program at the American University in Cairo (AUC) are important components of what must be a broader effort to enhance the ability of women in the region to achieve their potential and contribute fully to the social and economic development of their societies.

Consistent with the government’s efforts to expand educational opportunities for Saudi women, the Saudi Ministry of Higher Education recently approved the enrollment of women at Alfaisal University and the University Preparation Program (UPP), a special program that prepares high school graduates to tackle the challenges of university studies, particularly in English, math, and the sciences. As a result, as many as 120 women will begin classes next fall in the UPP, a four-year-old bridge program affiliated with Alfaisal University in Riyadh.

“The time is ripe for entrepreneurship in the Middle East, and I am confident that it can, indeed it must, play a crucial role in the political, social, and economic changes sweeping across the region,” AMIDEAST President and CEO Theodore Kattouf told participants in the William Davidson Institute’s Global Summit on Educating Entrepreneurs, held June 16-17 at the University of Michigan.