Twelve Technical School students will be back to school this fall equipped with real practical and field experience to add to the theoretical schooling they are receiving at Bint Jbeil Public Technical School in southern Lebanon.

Back to school with a lot more than just summer fun! Twelve Technical School students will be back to school this fall equipped with real practical and field experience to add to the theoretical schooling they are receiving at Bint Jbeil Public Technical School in southern Lebanon.

The two-month vocational training programme, which was initiated by UNIFIL's Civil Affairs section, and aimed to build the capacity of 12 Technical School students, came to an end on Tuesday 28 August. The hands on training programme allowed UNIFIL technical sections to share their vast knowledge and experience with youth from local communities of the South.

The result was more than satisfying for both parties. The students, who started their training at UNIFIL's Headquarters in Naquora on 3 July, have learned over the past two months how to put their theoretical knowledge into practice with excellent results.

On their last day in Naqoura, UNIFIL's Force Commander Major-General Paolo Serra visited the trainees in the generator, warm and cold, transport, and electrical units. In every unit, the Force Commander insisted on observing the trainees at work, pausing to listen and watch, lauding their efforts and commending them on their will and determination to learn so much in such a short time period.

In the generator unit he applauded David Hatoum and Hussein Milhem for their newly gained knowledge of repairing a damaged generator and bringing it back to life. "It was such an amazing new experience for us, we have learned so much" said David Hatoum. The trainees not only gained practical knowledge, but they were also able to overcome their fear, as Mario Chaaya from the warm and cold unit explained.

All the students were also very grateful to their patient teachers. Bassam Abass expressed openly his enthusiasm for being able to fix an air conditioning unit, thanks to his trainers.

The feeling was shared by Mohamad Salame, electrical unit trainee, who was grateful for the in-depth training where they "not only scratched the surface but learned the details".

The vocational training was concluded in a celebratory closing ceremony in the presence of UNIFIL Force Commander Major-General Serra, the director of the Bint Jbeil Technical School and representative of the director general of the directorate of technical and vocational training Mr. Ghassan Bazzi, representatives of the Bint Jbeil municipality, and UNIFIL officials.

UNIFIL's Force Commander was heartened by the trainees' "remarkable professional skills and tremendous enthusiasm". He congratulated each and every one of them for having seized this opportunity stating that "Your performance will serve as a stellar example for generations to come."

Mr. Bazzi thanked UNIFIL for its care, follow-up, support, and enthusiasm towards the trainees, especially since it wasn't the first time that UNIFIL had participated in a humanitarian activity at their school.

The training's end result was voiced by Rida Hamze, one of the twelve attendees, who spoke on behalf of his colleagues. He noted the importance of the knowledge they gained as a result of this exceptional opportunity, thus thanking UNIFIL for their contribution and training.

At the end of the ceremony the Force Commander, Mr. Bazzi, and UNIFIL officials presented the trainees with certificates and technical kits.

UNIFIL Force Commander Major-General Paolo Serra's speech