Initiative launched to empower Jordanian, Syrian youth

AMMAN — Education for Employment Jordan (EFE-Jordan) and the Qudra 2 programme, co-financed by the European Union, through the EU Regional Trust Fund in Response to the Syrian crisis, the EU Madad Fund, the German Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development (BMZ) and the Spanish Agency for International Development Cooperation (AECID), have renewed partnership to address youth unemployment in Jordan by providing Jordanian and Syrian youth with access to income-generating opportunities through market-driven technical and life skills training.

The initiative will aim to train 900 Jordanian and Syrian youth in various sectors, such as hospitality, day-care, plumping, electrical installation, etc., through four main tracks, according to a statement made available to The Jordan Times.

The first track will focus on upskilling 200 employed youth by providing them with soft skills and advanced sector-specific technical training to help them retain their jobs and advance their careers. 

The second track will directly support 500 underprivileged, unemployed youth access high-quality, formal employment through market-driven, sector-specific technical training followed by job matching in the private sector, the statement said.

The third track will focus on helping 100 youth enter the gig economy by offering them market-driven technical training in specified sectors, focusing on online freelance work. 

Lastly, 100 youth will be provided with entrepreneurship training, start-up tool kits, and employment counselling to help them launch their home-based business and micro-enterprises, the statement said.

Ghadeer Khuffash, EFE-Jordan's CEO, said: “We are proud to partner up with the Qudra programme for the second time to economically strengthen youth's resilience in Jordan, and we are grateful for Qudra’s continued support in helping us empower youth so that they can uplift themselves and their communities.”

Haikal Al Abed, Qudra 2 Programme Country Coordinator for Jordan and Lebanon, said: “We are excited to renew our partnership with EFE-Jordan. In continuous coordination with the Jordanian Ministry of Labour, the ‘Income-Generating Opportunities Programme’ will equip youth with the proper qualification to improve their technical and life skills that are aligned with the requirements of the Jordanian labour market.”

“Additionally, providing youth with career guidance services will help achieve the desired goal of employment opportunities for 900 Jordanian and Syrian youth, with a special focus on women. Despite the challenging times of COVID-19 and its impact on the labour market, we have to do our best in providing future perspectives for youth,” Abed said.