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Ammon News - AMMONNEWS - Prime Minister Omar Razzaz on Monday launched a program to train about 20,000 young Jordanian men and women to qualify them for the labour market in the targeted industrial, construction and tourism sectors.

The "Khidmat Watan" (national service) program, which will be implemented by the Ministry of Labour in cooperation with the Jordan Armed Forces, is one of the priority projects of the government for the next two years.

The program, aimed at providing the national economy with a vocationally-trained young workforce, is in implementation of the royal directives to the government to come up with a comprehensive national project whose key basis are the rule of law, production and interdependence.

The Prime Minister said during a ceremony to kick off the program, which was held at the Zarqa Vocational Training Institute/National Company for Employment and Training, and attended by ministers, members of parliament members, officials and private sector representatives, that His Majesty the King had directed the government to launch a long-term national project to uplift the economy.

He said that "Khidmat Watan" and an associated employment program, in cooperation with the private sector, is one of the most important projects launched by the government towards achieving the "national renaissance enterprise", and that it reflects the partnership between the Jordan Armed Forces and the Ministry of Labor.

It is aimed to involve the youth in national production and promote national belonging, efficient citizenship and professional skills that are needed in today's economy, he said.

Razzaz said it is of utmost urgency now to switch to Jordanian labour in the agricultural, industrial and tourism sectors, noting that more than 800,000 foreign workers are in the Kingdom, urging the youth to join the labour market.

"It is unreasonable that unemployment and poverty exist, with about 300,000 young men and women unemployed, and at the same time more than 800,000 foreign workers are in the country", he said.

The prime minister pointed out that the mechanization of such vital sectors as construction and agriculture will raise wages and encourage young people to join these sectors.