Project profile — Jordan-Canada Partnership for Youth Employment

The project aims to increase the economic benefits to youth (girls and boys) in Jordan, in the private sector in waged employment and self-employment. It accomplishes this by promoting more effective gender sensitive and sustainable education programs particularly vocational training programs, by delivering training to instructors at selected vocational schools and community colleges on business and soft skills, and on gender equality. The project also seeks to increase the participation of unemployed youth in the labour market, by training male and female students and graduates on business and entrepreneurship skills, and by organizing work placement programs and job fairs to increase access by youth to private sector employment and self-employment opportunities.

The expected intermediate outcomes for the project include: more effective gender sensitive and sustainable education programs particularly in non-formal skills for employment programs; and increased participation of unemployed youth in the labour market.

Results achieved as of the end of the project (December 2018) include: (1) 821 professors were provided with training on gender-sensitive and sustainable Skills for Employment (SFE) programs; (2) 20,899 youth completed SFE programs including specialty courses, business skills training, and internship programs; (3) 20 awareness workshops were held for enterprises and businesses, where families and employers developed an increased acceptance of women's employment; (4) 25 businesses received technical support on Human Resources policies and procedures encouraging the integration of women; (5) 133 community college graduates were placed in private sector companies and achieved good to high satisfaction from employers; and (6) 24 job fairs were conducted with a high satisfaction level from employers who attended.