“Social Entrepreneurship as a Tool to Improve Employment and Education Opportunities in Rural Communities”

By: Salah Al-Zghoul – Member of the Safe Rural Youth Political Space

Rural communities in Jordan, such as Ajloun Governorate, face real challenges manifested in high unemployment rates and limited educational and training opportunities, which negatively affect their economic and social stability. This raises a fundamental question: how can entrepreneurial ideas and community initiatives move beyond small-scale activities to become practical solutions that effectively contribute to enhancing employment opportunities and improving education?

Many rural initiatives often begin with great enthusiasm but stumble during the implementation stages due to limited funding or the absence of networking channels with markets and supporting institutions. One possible approach to address this gap is to establish local business incubators and community training centers that realistically respond to the needs of the population and work to empower youth and women with the skills required in the labor market.

For example, in Ajloun Governorate, linking agricultural products to e-marketing could represent a promising opportunity to provide sustainable sources of income without the need to migrate to major cities. Moreover, enhancing applied education and practical training in fields such as solar energy, organic farming, and eco-tourism would open new employment horizons and transform local potential into genuine productive resources.

Community entrepreneurship in rural areas is not merely a limited activity or a temporary initiative; rather, it is a strategic opportunity to build a local economy based on self-reliance and youth creativity. Ajloun, like other governorates, possesses natural, touristic, agricultural, and heritage wealth. However, the ongoing challenge lies in the lack of sustainability of initiatives due to the absence of sustainable funding and the shortage of markets capable of absorbing their products.

Here arises a key question: How can these small initiatives be transformed into sustainable projects that create real job opportunities, especially for youth and women? And how can we ensure the presence of support networks and institutional cooperation that maintain the impact of community entrepreneurship and prevent it from fading over time?

The reality in Ajloun highlights a clear paradox: while the governorate suffers from a lack of investments and the limited presence of major institutions, it is rich in youthful energy and promising entrepreneurial ideas. Here, the importance of the National Employment Program emerges as a national tool that can contribute to enhancing job opportunities in rural governorates—provided that its initiatives are effectively implemented on the ground in ways that address the actual needs of young people.

In this context, a number of young people in Ajloun point out that access to online platforms or labor directorates is not available to everyone. This opens the door to the idea of mobile offices or awareness campaigns that reach villages and towns directly, ensuring inclusive access to employment services.

In conclusion, it can be said that young people are not only seeking temporary jobs but are looking for real opportunities to build sustainable projects that affirm their presence in their communities and contribute to the development of their governorate. To achieve this, it is necessary to adopt decentralized employment policies and encourage community entrepreneurship as a strategic choice that links local development with the national economy.