Employment-Intensive Investment Programmes (EIIP) was used to construct the country's first public satellite TVET centre in a refugee-hosting area, Kebribeyah, in Somali Regional State. It creates jobs for refugees and host community members during the construction of the centre itself, while also providing vocational training to local students who would otherwise have to travel long distances for TVET training. EIIP was also used to rehabilitate roads, incorporating cobblestone technology linked to TVET training and trial contracts for TVET graduates in Kebribeyah. Moreover, the approach was used to construct detention ponds for cattle and a milk collection/cooling facility as part of the dairy value chain.

PROSPECTS focused on green works (irrigation, waste management, afforestation), rehabilitating TVET and youth centres in Dohuk and Nineveh. Young engineers from refugee and host communities were trained and employed, notably using digital tools for EIIP site monitoring. Employment-Intensive Investment Programmes (EIIP) sites served as practical training grounds for TVET students and engineers, with participants also referred to business development and employment services. PROSPECTS in Iraq also involved trade unions, whereby they were able to empower workers to defend their rights at work through awareness raising and the formation of workers’ committees. On these committees, elected worker representatives received workers’ complaints and helped mediated solutions. This helped build ownership and capacity as the government worked toward a national Public Works Programme for the federal government and the regional government in Kurdistan, drawing heavily on evidence, tools and institutional partnerships established through PROSPECTS EIIP interventions.

The programme in Kenya partnered with the government of Turkana County to rehabilitate roads using cobblestone technology and develop a related TVET course on cobblestone installation and maintenance at the Lodwar Vocational Training Centre. The programme also applied Employment-Intensive Investment Programmes (EIIP) to strengthen the camel-milk value chain by restoring water systems and to manage the invasive species, Prosopis Juliflora. After applying a labour intensive approach to clear Prosopis plants and rehabilitate land with indigenous trees, the programme supported value addition by processing Prosopis into charcoal and animal feed. purpose community centres inside refugee settlements, which provided employment services to the settlement’s residents.

Employment-Intensive Investment Programmes (EIIP)was introduced as a rapid response mechanism following the 2020 Beirut blast, making the most of existing ILO capacity in the country and repurposing PROSPECTS funds. The work engaged refugee and host community youth in rubble removal and street clearing in the immediate aftermath of the blast, showing solidarity with the host community and contributing to recovery. In this case, the repurposing of funds to support the EIIP response also demonstrated the agility of both the ILO and the donor (the Netherlands), who were both willing to expedite approval processes to serve a clear and immediate need. Later, the programme applied EIIP to support the national Green Plan in partnership with the Ministry of Agriculture and the Lebanese Reforestation Initiative. Fence walls, land reclamation and the rehabilitation of water reservoirs supported 153 farmers in Akkar and North Lebanon. This fed into and complemented the programme’s broader focus on the agriculture sector in Lebanon, which was the main employer of refugees and vulnerable Lebanese. 

Employment-Intensive Investment Programmes (EIIP) primarily focused on constructing and rehabilitating critical water and health facilities in remote, conflict-affected, and refugee-hosting areas. The goal was to address essential infrastructure needs while creating short-term jobs and building local capacity among contractors and government representatives. Local Economic Development Committees (LEDCs) played a unique role in navigating approvals, monitoring sites and helping ensure the continuation of essential services even during conflict. When the conflict subsided in Kassala and White Nile, PROSPECTS assessed economic infrastructure in the Greater Kassala Market and identified entry points to improve productivity and OSH practices. EIIP workers were also connected to local TVET institutions to have their skills certified after EIIP work concluded.

The programme team in Uganda conducted a Labour-Based Construction Management Training of Trainers (ToT) to build the capacity of labour-based trainers, including practitioners from the Mount Elgon Labour-Based College; district local governments in Terego and Madi-Okollo; construction companies; and the Uganda National Association of Builders, Suppliers, and Engineering Contractors (UNABSEC). The ToT integrated modules on Occupational Safety and Health (OSH), gender inclusion, social protection, and environmental and social safeguards. The Isingiro District Local Government subsequently developed an EIIP training programme for prequalified contractors., while ILO and UNHCR leveraged EIIP at the district level to address limited community services- such as vocational training and mental health and psychosocial support (MHPSS)- in the Nakivale and Rhino refugee settlements. Using the EIIP approach, three community centres were constructed, generating work and income for refugees living in the settlements. As part of the construction work,13 local contractors, including two refugee-run construction businesses, were trained on the EIIP approach. This was a first step in building a pool of locally qualified contractors. At the district level, the programme advocated for the use of locally recruited labour in labour-intensive public works.