Academy helps Jordanian youth tap into online income opportunities

AMMAN — Mohammad Al Jazzazi, 22, is one of over 1,000 participants in Leadership International’s Digital Avenue Online Training Academy, a US-backed project that helps young Jordanians tap into new income opportunities through online work.

Jazzazi is a mechanical engineering graduate who turned to digital work to learn new skills, which he sees as “crucial for professional and personal growth”.

“I completed all four levels of the training and learned so many new skills in terms of marketing, finance, dealing with clients, understanding their needs and evaluating how they align with mine,” Jazzazi said. 

Jazzazi said the training has helped him expand his portfolio and increase his income, adding that he was chosen among the 25 best-performing participants to make it to the next phase of the project, according to a Leaders International statement. 

In the second phase of the project, 10 participants from various agencies will receive seed funding and need-based mentorship from US-based experts.

Mohammad is not exactly new to the freelancing world, and he did have previous experience before the project. However, he was not as informed and experienced with regards to understanding what jobs he is more suited for and marketing himself and his skills accordingly. As a result, the rate at which he would get a response, let alone a job was much lower.

This phase is more individualised, Jazzazi said, adding that he’s learned a lot from his colleagues. He is now part of a team of three, specialising in simulation, animation and 3D rendering and modelling. 

He met his team through the project, and they are currently applying to incubators in Jordan that could help them scale their business and establish their name as a start-up.

Jazzazi encourages everyone to give the digital work route a try. 

His message to young Jordanians is to set goals and be ambitious. “Do not worry about money at first,” he said, noting that it can come in slowly early on. 

“Just focus on your purpose, your end goal, and your journey to get there, always considering how you can contribute to the betterment of your society and country in the process,” he said.