National Service Programme to groom 6,000 youth for workforce in second phase

AMMAN — The second phase of the National Service Programme will begin in mid November, with more than 6,000 trainees from ages 18 to 30 expected to graduate.

The programme provides training for participants in the fields of tourism, health, telecommunications, construction, agriculture and entrepreneurship, according to ministry statements.

Around 10,000 applicants filed for the second phase, with around 6,000 accepted, the statements said.

Originally set to run over three months, the programme’s first phase was extended to six months. The second phase will also run for six months, with three months spent at ministry-affiliated vocational training centres across the Kingdom and three months at expected work sites.

Mohammed Khatib, spokesperson for the Ministry of Labour, told The Jordan Times over the phone that the second phase is “different than the first, in that it eventually lands trainees a job rather than an internship”.

He added that the ministry will sign memoranda of cooperation with 16 different institutions that are willing to hire the trainees once they graduate.

The programme provides interns with a JD100 monthly allowance, JD25 for transportation fees, a daily meal during the time spent at ministry-affiliated vocational centres and medical insurance in case of work-related injuries.

The graduates will also be issued a professional licence by the Centre for Accreditation and Quality Control, as well as a certificate from the Ministry of Labour.

 “The training is not to be thought of as an alternative for those who do not wish to pursue an academic degree. Many of the applicants are college and university graduates who need real-life training before entering the job market,” said Khatib.

Prime Minister Omar Razzaz previously stated that the programme is an “integral part of the government’s plans to reduce unemployment and poverty rates”, calling on the private sector to “keep an eye on skillful graduates”.