French ambassador visits vocational training, employment project in Sahab

AMMAN — French Ambassador to Jordan David Bertolotti and President of the Business Development Centre (BDC) Nayef Stetieh on Wednesday visited the “Tanmyeh” vocational training, employment and development (TVET) project in Sahab, southern Amman.

Bertolotti attended part of the training programme organised by the BDC, designed to help 2,000 Jordanian and Syrian refugee youths access jobs in the industrial sector.

The director of Sahab Industrial City, the mayor of Sahab and the chairman of the Sahim Association were also present, according to a statement sent to The Jordan Times.

The project should help the youth find employment in the Zarqa, Irbid and Amman industrial zones, as well as in Ajloun and Jerash, the statement highlighted.

The ambassador stressed the role of France in supporting Jordan’s youth and empowerment towards contributing to economic development.

He praised the positive feedback from the beneficiaries and the project’s impact in motivating youths and increasing their self-confidence and capabilities to access the labour market.

Nayef Stetieh, the president and CEO of the BDC, said the aim of the project is to bridge the gap between the labour market requirements and the youth’s skills, to help them find jobs and drive the development of Jordan’s human resources.

“Employment in Jordan, with nearly 90 per cent of Syrian refugees outside refugee camps, requires providing a comprehensive and integrated approach to promote and enhance TVET and employment, while promoting social cohesion and livelihoods in Jordanian communities,” Stetieh underlined.

The project will have a significant impact on the labour market’s supply of employable Jordanian youths, he added.

It will also strengthen and enhance the skills Syrian refugees need to find suitable jobs, the BDC president concluded.

Around 50 per cent of the participants are women, the statement pointed out, as the project also aims at helping entrepreneurs launch a target of 600 new businesses to support self-employability, the economy and create further job opportunities.

Funded by the French Agency for Development, at 3 million euros, under the “Sawa” initiative, the three-year project provides the participants with the technical and practical skills needed to boost their employability, the statement said.