Ammon News - The Jordan River Foundation (JRF) held a virtual event with private and public sector partners to discuss job placement achievements and future plans as part of the "Improving Livelihoods of Syrian Refugees and Jordanian Host Communities" project, implemented by the JRF in cooperation with private sector companies and the Ministry of Labour.

The project, funded by the European Regional Development and Protection Programme (RDPP II), aims to improve and sustain the livelihoods of 1,296 beneficiaries (Jordanians and Syrian refugees) through micro-enterprise, funding, workforce readiness and basic life skills support in partnership with local associations, according to a JRF statement.

Event attendees discussed employment opportunities created for 199 beneficiaries since the launch of the project in 2019 across Amman, Zarqa, Irbid, Mafraq, Karak and Aqaba.

The JRF also recognised the efforts of project partners in helping Jordanians and Syrian refugees secure jobs in the aforementioned governorates especially during the COVID-19 pandemic, the statement said.

Attendees also discussed future plans for reaching more Jordanians and Syrian refugees through the project, especially in underprivileged areas where job opportunities are minimal.

Since the project’s inception, the JRF has held a series of awareness workshops for 2000 youth, 13 job fairs, in addition to a series of training events on basic life skills (437 beneficiaries), and employability skills (327 beneficiaries).

“The COVID-19 pandemic accompanied by high unemployment rates have posed serious challenges for the private sector. Job matching has never been more timelier, especially as we continue to focus on offering project beneficiaries training and mentoring programmes that help bridge the gap between labour market needs and workforce readiness skills,” said JRF’s General Director Enaam Barrishi.

“We look forward to helping more beneficiaries land jobs in cooperation with the private sector, ensuring gender equality, as well as empowering job seekers with workforce readiness skills," added Barrishi.