Jordan- Maharat graduates 200 trainees, organises job fair 

(MENAFN - Jordan Times) The Maharat programme on Monday graduated 200 participants who had completed its work readiness classes and held a job fair to connect its beneficiaries with companies seeking skilled employees, organisers said.

Funded by the USAID Tatweer project and run by the Business Development Centre (BDC), the programme provides recent Jordanian university graduates with no previous work experience the opportunity to receive comprehensive training delivered by professional practitioners from various business fields, according to a statement from the BDC.

Maharat, which has provided career opportunities to more than 9,000 recent graduates across Jordan with a 75 per cent employment rate, also connects its beneficiaries to the job market through job fairs and internships, the statement added.

At the graduation ceremony, Minister of Labour Maher Wakid encouraged the graduates to pursue the available job opportunities in order to realise the political, economic and social change they are looking forward to and in a manner that serves the national interest, according to the BDC statement.

USAID's Deputy Assistant Administrator for the Middle East Christopher Crowley highlighted that "this project provides the critical skills that bright young Jordanians need to be ready for the workplace," USAID said in a separate statement.

With more than 70,000 youths estimated to be entering the job market each year in Jordan, the importance of the kind of work Maharat is achieving cannot be overstated, Crowley added, commending the relationship between the labour ministry and USAID as a noteworthy example of cooperation between governments to empower young people.

Nayef Stetieh, president and CEO of the BDC, emphasised the centre's commitment to empowering youth in all governorates in order to enhance their employability and develop their career prospects through strategic partnerships with the public and private sectors.

The job fair held after the ceremony included the participation of 50 private sector companies, the BDC statement said.