TAGHYYR: Access to employment for youth

The Syrian civil war has placed immense strain on Jordan’s economy, resulting in overburdened infrastructure, increased unemployment, and rising prices.

The population is growing fast, and today includes 2.9m non-Jordanians. More than half of the population is under 20, and more people enter the job market  than leave it every year. If Jordan is to capitalize on its ‘demographic gift’ forecast for 2030, it has to improve employment opportunities for youth now. This has to be done in the context of an economy with low participation rates; 39% overall and only 14% for women. Participation rates for Syrians are affected by restrictions on eligible sectors and jobs. A 2017 ILO study estimated them to be not more than 20% for men and 7% for women.

The unemployment rate among the youth aged 15-24 years reached 36% (31% males and 56.5% female) in 2017. This is due to the fact that the jobs currently available in Jordan often involve starting in low-skilled positions while young people seek employment that preserves and strengthens their social status.

The hospitality sector is the 5th largest contributor to GDP in Jordan and is targeted to achieve 5% growth between 2018-2025. This will not happen without significant increase in the supply of skilled labour across all job roles – customer facing and support services. The medical sector is also a large consumer of skilled hospitality service employees and a target sector in national strate-gies.

The main objective of this project is to provide improved access to employment for 1,200 Syrian and Jordanian youth (50% fe-male) who are out of school and out of work. Actions include:

• Private sector engagement and partnerships.
• Enhanced career and employment counselling services with the training of 50 employment advisors & 10 trainers.
• Quality technical & vocational education and entrepreneurship training with 50 new start-ups entering the market.
• Sustainability will be ensured by the transfer of French knowledge, systems and processes through a partnership with AFPA (French Agency for Adults Vocation-al Training).

On the labour market:

• Employment advisors & trainers able to direct young people into employment more efficiently.
• TVET institutions better prepared to respond and develop market driven curriculum.
• Youth with improved professional skills entering the job market.
• New start-ups supported, enabling job creation and further recruitment.

For refugees:

• Enhanced access to work permits and formal jobs in growth sectors.
• Increased income for beneficiaries and their families, lifting them out of vulnerability.
• Creation of a virtuous circle involving trained refugees and communities.