Vocational Training Courses in Syria Help Youth Enter the Job Market
Years of war have left behind an exhausted country, and youths who are unable to find employment opportunities that help them build a stable future. Unemployment rates among the youth have increased significantly in Syria, making emigration their only hope.
Although there are no accurate statistics about the rate of unemployment in Syria, a recent analytical study entitled "Unemployment in Syria" concluded that the largest percentage of unemployed people is among the youth category, which makes up about 70% of society and is the most productive group. As well as, Rural Damascus province includes the highest percentage of unemployed youth among Syrian provinces, according to the same study.
The Service and Relief Department – Diakonia, at the Middle East Council of Churches, Syria’s Office, worked in order to support the youth by implementing vocational training courses, through Livelihoods program. These courses help the youth improve their professional skills regardless of their educational level and enable them to become financially independent, rather than relying on humanitarian support that cannot be secured in the long term.
The Diakonia Department in Damascus implemented many professional training courses in Jaramana, Rural Damascus city, targeting 75 young men and women in the age range from 18 to 25.
The three-month training included various topics such as the basics of hairdressing for men, hairdressing for women, cosmetology, mobile maintenance, and culinary. It was followed by a five-day business start-up course that addressed the methods of starting – up a small business.
The participants then joined an apprenticeship program that was financed by MECC according to their specialization. All the participants then received kits including the needed tools to start working or launch their own business.
One of the participants in the culinary training said, "I have a certificate from the Institute of Financial and Banking Sciences at Damascus University, and I used to work as a saleswoman in a library in the city of Maaloula in Rural Damascus area. However, the lack of financial income at the library left the owners unable to pay me a monthly salary. This was my first motivation to learn a profession that would help increase my chance of finding a job to support my family”.
She added “During the course, I learned new things about cooking that I did not know before, such as: how to prepare different types of sauces for different meals, and how to prepare a variety of main dishes and desserts... I feel happy every time I prepare a dish and decorate it”.
The vocational training courses offered by the Diakonia Department helped the youth to develop the necessary skills and knowledge to enter the job market and become self-sufficient. The program aimed to empower youth financially and reduce their dependence on humanitarian aid. The training courses were designed to improve their professional skills, regardless of their educational background.
It is noted that the Service and Relief– Diakonia Department, at the Middle East Council of Churches, implemented vocational training for youth and is supporting small businesses in a number of Syrian governorates within the livelihood program that aims at assisting the people in need to enter the labor market and start their own businesses.
