The Arab Renaissance for Democracy and Development (ARDD) provided educational, vocational and technical grants to support students who participate in the Design and Determine project, held from September to November 2021 with the aim of increasing job and employment opportunities for youth. The project is implemented in partnership with the private sector through capacity building, education, training and qualification.
Cooperation agreements were signed with Theodor Schneller School (TSS) and Luminus Technical University College (LTUC) whereby scholarships were granted to 10 students, Jordanians, and Iraqi and Syrian refugees, in a fields selected to suit the needs of the local market, thus ensuring that the youth have access to decent job opportunities.
The grants were distributed to five students from TSS (three Syrians and two Jordanians) in the field of barbering, , and to five students from LTUC, two Jordanians in the field of Arabic cooking, and two Iraqis and a Jordanian woman in the field of cosmetology.
ARDD believes that vocational education is essential to sustainable development, and the basis for changing the economy and improving livelihoods. It has a positive impact on youth, foremost through its role in improving their employment opportunities by helping them acquire skills, and linking knowledge to practical application and then to the labor market; it is especially beneficial for those out of school.
The Design and Determine project aims to establish a qualitative partnership with the private sector while building its capacity to create operational opportunities, decent jobs and safe work environments. It also seeks to reinforce the capacity of vulnerable Jordanians and refugees, and improve their employability, build their business skills, and support skilled entrepreneurs and existing small companies (formal and informal) to start work, grow and expand.
According to ARDD, “Jordanian youth in host communities and refugees face many challenges in finding opportunities to attain their aspiration to gain practical experience and skills, and build social networks that enable them to achieve financial independence and economic participation in their communities.
The project, run in cooperation with the public and private sectors, youth and members of civil society, is bound to achieve economic opportunities and decent work for youth.
Design and Determine is one of Maqha Al Nahda initiatives, a pioneer project launched in Amman in 2019 by ARDD in an area that reflects the spirit of the city and the pace of its development representing a model for partnership between civil society organizations and the private sector, which seeks to activate the developmental role of local investors in the framework of social responsibility and help national civil society organizations to find their own sources of income and funding that reduce their reliance on donor funds, to ensure sustainability and independence.
This project is funded by the European Regional Development and Protection Program (RDPP II) to support Lebanon, Jordan, and Iraq. It is a joint European initiative that enjoys the support of the EU and Switzerland.
