Nationwide campaign launched to promote skilled crafts careers among local Jordan youth

AMMAN — Education for Employment-Jordan (EFE-Jordan), a non-profit organisation leading a national initiative to create economic opportunities for unemployed youth across the Kingdom, has kicked off a three-month image campaign promoting skilled crafts under the slogan “My Craft is My Mark”.

The nationwide campaign was launched together with the German Agency for International Cooperation (GIZ) project “Employment Oriented Vocational Training for Skilled Crafts”, which is implemented on behalf of the German Federal Ministry of Economic Cooperation and Development (BMZ), Kreishandwerkerschaft Steinfurt-Warendorf (KH ST-WAF), Ministry of Labour and Technical and Vocational Skills Development Commission (TVSDC), according to an EFE statement.

The image campaign targets young men and women those most affected by Jordan’s high unemployment rate and sheds light on the numerous opportunities presented by skilled crafts professions such as welding, hairdressing, cosmetology, auto mechanics, sanitary plumbing and mobile maintenance, the statement said.

By raising awareness about the variety of skilled crafts professions and highlighting inspirational success stories, the image campaign aims to shift the negative perception surrounding such occupations to promote them as viable paths towards better futures for youth and their families, while showcasing their positive impact on communities and economies at large, read the statement.

For these reasons, EFE-Jordan, alongside GIZ, KH ST-WAF, the Labour Ministry and TVSDC, strive to empower youth, particularly females who are often restricted from entering skilled crafts professions, as they are regarded unsuitable for young women, according to the statement.

“Youth across Jordan, especially females, are ambitious and eager to learn, yet many continue to endure the prevailing reality of unemployment. It is important for us at EFE-Jordan to help erase any stigmas or misconceptions associated with skilled crafts that may be hindering young men and women from taking on certain jobs and bettering their futures,” said Ghadeer Khuffash, CEO of EFE-Jordan in the statement.

She expressed her gratitude to GIZ, KH ST-WAF, the Labour Ministry and TVSDC for their collaborative efforts in launching the campaign.

In turn, Georg Derbsch, Head of the GIZ project ‘Employment Oriented Vocational Training for Skilled Crafts’, said,: “The skilled crafts sector in Germany is one of the country’s economic backbones and a driver of innovation and job creation. Learning from this experience, the “Employment Oriented Vocational Training for Skilled Crafts” project, together with its Jordanian partners, seeks to improve the standards of vocational training in order to offer youth high quality education; hence, increasing their employability, while supporting private sector employers with finding qualified workers.”

The project, which is implemented by GIZ on behalf of BMZ, is an expression of Germany’s contribution to enhancing the local skilled crafts sector and supporting the Kingdom as a host country in light of the ongoing crisis in Syria.

“Through this campaign, we aim to make youth and parents more aware of the value and importance of skilled crafts professions, from both the economic and cultural perspectives,” Derbsch added.

EFE-Jordan operates across all governorates, catering to beneficiaries from both Jordanian and Syrian nationalities, as well as university and non-university students, according to the statement.

Since its inception in 2006, EFE-Jordan has trained over 11,000 individuals, 68 per cent of whom are women, with nearly 85 per cent having been linked with different employment opportunities.

EFE-Jordan is a part of the international EFE network; comprising locally run foundations in Egypt, Jordan, Palestine, Morocco, Tunisia, Yemen and Saudi Arabia, alongside global support hubs in Europe, the US and the UAE, concluded the statement.