Tuesday, the Minister of Labor Maen Al-Qatamin launched a project to train and employ 1,000 Jordanian youths in the field of advanced programming, as a part of the Kingdom's centenary celebrations.

The project the project was implemented by the Luminus Technical University College, in cooperation with Tafilah Technical University, Al-Hussein Bin Talal University, Al-Bayt University, and the Vocational Training Corporation (VTC), with the support of the Ministry of Labor, the The Technical and Vocational Skills Development Commission (TVSDC), and the German Agency for Development (GIZ) through the "Qudra program."

The Qudra brings refugees, IDPs, host communities and local, national, regional stakeholders together in different platforms in order to encourage all parties to enter constructive dialogue and exchange experiences. Through such a participatory strategy, Qudra events and activities aim to develop new, innovative strategies for an appropriate response to the region’s refugee crisis. Most importantly, this module advocates for and provides the mechanisms of giving a voice to refugees, members of host communities and IDPs.

In the first stages, the project will be targeting the training and employment of Jordanian youth of both genders from ages 18 to 35 in various regions, with the first phase focusing on the governorates of Tafilah, Ma'an, Mafraq and Ajloun.

Qatamin pointed out that the project provides the labor market with trained and qualified graduates to engage in the programming sector, and fill part of the information technology sector's demands in this field for the coming years.

He added that this project will open ways for the youth to enter the labor market with major companies specialized in information technology.

The General Director of VTC Ziad Obeidat, said that the memorandum of understanding (MOU) gives an opportunity to exchange experiences between the institution and the universities to raise the efficiency of trainers on advanced programming programs.

He stressed that this project will help open the way for training in new specializations that meet the requirements of the labor market and its continuous changes.

In turn, the head of the TVSDC Qais Al-Safasfa, affirmed that the support provided by the corporation under this agreement aims to provide scholarships for Jordanian youth with the aim of increasing their interest in technical and vocational education and training (TVET) in specializations covered by Jordan's Vision 2025, in the field of advanced programming and the availability of trained competencies.

He added that the corporation aims to bridge the gap between supply and demand, meet the actual needs of the labor market for these experiences, provide rewarding and distinctive job opportunities immediately after graduation, provide job opportunities for graduates, contribute to reducing the unemployment rate, and encourage young people to engage in technical education and vocational training in line with the recommendations of the national strategy for developing Human Resources.

Al-Safasfa pointed out that the corporation is working to build a real partnership between the public and private sector, and between various academic institutions to help young people create their own projects after graduation and to provide the labor market with graduates who are trained and qualified to engage in the programming sector.

Al-Qatamin and the Dean of Luminus Technical University College signed the MOU for this project, in preparation for starting the implementation steps for it in the coming period.