Supporting a National Employment Strategy that works for Young Syrian Refugees in Jordan

At the end of the project, the implementation of the National Employment Strategy will have been improved for young refugees through (a) capacity building of stakeholders for its implementation at national and regional level - in regions affected by the refugee crisis, and (b) the strengthening of workplace based learning practices with the set-up of a national apprenticeship system, and upgrading of informal apprenticeship practices in northern governorates. The two components are mutually reinforcing. The work on apprenticeship will contribute to the component of the NES related to skills-. The project will prioritize areas of high refugee population, and direct services will target young Syrian refugees. The project will have two levels of inter-related outcomes: 1. Capacity for a coordinated NES implementation strengthened The NES implementation has so far suffered from a lack of consultation with social partners and line ministries. Its relevance has also been questioned because of the changing economic and political situation. Moreover, its impact has not been visible yet due to the management structure which is outside the purview of the Ministry of Labour and social partners, and due to the absence of a transparent monitoring and evaluation framework. The Government is currently keen to address the labour market challenges which have been exacerbated by the Syrian Refugee crisis and one way to do so is through expediting the NES implementation. Consequently, this project will implement two interrelated levels of interventions: expanding impact and strengthening policy coordination. 2. A National Apprenticeship System established- with upgraded informal apprenticeship practices for young Syrians There is a strong link between this proposal and the first phase of the SIDA funded project on youth employment: in the first phase, a successful pilot was undertaken to upgrade informal apprenticeships. It generated great interest from national stakeholders, who expressed commitment to partner with ILO for the improvement of their workplace based training programmes. In parallel, the design of an apprenticeship “tool kit” is well under way based on a review of international good practices. It includes detailed guidance on (a) possible legal and policy framework for an apprenticeship system, (b) a contract template based on ILS – being validated by NORMES, (c) social dialogue guidance for designing and managing apprenticeship systems, (d) one week modular course on pedagogical skills for master craft-persons – among other components.

Project symbol

JOR/14/50/SID

Admin unit

RO-Arab States/DWT-Beirut

Start date

15/11/2014

End date

31/12/2015

Total allocation

279484

Total expenditure

Status

Closed

257069

Development Partners

Sweden, Swedish International Development Cooperation Agency

Country/Countries

Jordan

Outcomes

More and better jobs for inclusive growth and improved youth employment prospects