Young leaders are driving change: A development dialogue to bridge the skills gap and open up employment opportunities.

Ajloun –  Intermediaries of Change Center for Sustainable Development organized a participatory dialogue in Ajloun Governorate, bringing together a select group of young leaders with representatives from the Jordan River Foundation, members of the Rural Youth Space, and the Center’s management, along with a number of activists and stakeholders in the local community. The meeting aimed to enhance youth empowerment and build their capacities to bridge the skills gap and open broader horizons for them in the labor market and entrepreneurship.

This meeting is part of ongoing efforts to strengthen the role of youth as active partners in local development. It focused on discussing the challenges facing young people in rural communities, particularly regarding limited economic opportunities, the skills gap, and the lack of sustainable investment projects. The meeting also aimed to explore the priorities of young men and women in Ajloun Governorate and to identify opportunities for designing specialized training programs that contribute to bridging the skills gap, especially for those with entrepreneurial ideas and graduates in digital fields. This would support innovation and enhance employment opportunities, while also emphasizing the importance of empowering youth initiatives and transforming them into sustainable projects through effective partnerships.

Mahmoud Al-Karaki, Programs Director at the Jordan River Foundation, expressed his appreciation for the meeting, emphasizing that the Foundation works on several key areas: economic empowerment, protection and prevention, employment, and connecting youth with the labor market. He noted that the Foundation focuses on supporting the most vulnerable groups, with approximately 60% of its supported projects dedicated to women, in addition to social protection programs and providing a safe environment for mothers and children. He also mentioned plans to implement digital empowerment programs in Ajloun in cooperation with the World Food Programme.

For his part, the center’s executive director, Suhaib Ahmad Rababa’a, pointed to a clear skills gap among young people, emphasizing the need to develop specialized fields in digital media, tourism, and agriculture, in addition to addressing challenges such as transportation, which hinder youth participation in the labor market. He also stressed that “Reef Space” represents an effective model that links training with market needs.

Nizar Al-Salibi, Project Manager at the Jordan River Foundation, also stressed the importance of strengthening partnerships between the public and private sectors, and working to establish sustainable loan funds and portfolios to support entrepreneurial projects, in addition to the role of incubators and business accelerators in supporting young people from the idea stage to expansion and access to funding.

Abeer Al-Fakher, Director of the Projects Component at the Jordan River Foundation, explained the Jordan River Foundation’s role in financing entrepreneurial projects and guiding young people towards appropriate training paths, with a focus on expanding programs in Ajloun within the digital, tourism and agricultural sectors.

Rasha Al-Badareen, Director of the Employment Component at the Jordan River Foundation, emphasized the importance of career guidance and helping young people choose suitable paths according to labor market needs.

Mohammad Al-Abadi, Project Manager at the Jordan River Foundation, also stressed the importance of strengthening partnerships with civil society organizations and the private sector to implement high-quality training programs, develop productive projects on a regular basis, and activate the role of knowledge centers through integrated training packages.

For his part, the project manager, Ahmed Abdel Qader, affirmed that this dialogue represents a qualitative milestone in empowering rural youth, by involving them in designing training programs and opening channels of communication with supporting entities, with a focus on providing a stimulating environment for developing ideas, especially in the fields of green economy and technology.

Bilal Al-Samadi emphasized the importance of ensuring the sustainability of the programs implemented by the Jordan River Foundation, activating loan funds to support small and medium-sized enterprises, and establishing a permanent exhibition for youth products.

For his part, Dr. Ali Al-Momani pointed to the lack of private sector investment projects in Ajloun, particularly in the tourism sector, which limits opportunities for economic growth.

Project coordinator Reham Al-Qudah also stressed the importance of providing business incubators and technical and financial support programs that enable young people to turn their ideas into sustainable projects.

Dialogue facilitator, Rural Space member Amani Al-Sa’aydeh, emphasized the vital role played by the “Safe Youth Political Rural Space” in empowering youth by providing an interactive environment that enhances their participation in dialogue and decision-making, and supports the development of their skills in entrepreneurship and digital innovation, thus contributing to conveying their voices to decision-makers in an institutional manner.

The members of the Rural Space presented a set of recommendations, most notably: launching a national project linking guesthouses to environmental trails, developing digital tourism platforms, establishing business incubators, producing professional digital content to promote Ajloun, and implementing programs in digital skills and freelance work, in addition to establishing artificial intelligence laboratories, while emphasizing the need to develop digital services in incubators and knowledge stations.

At the conclusion of the meeting, the young leaders stressed the importance of intensifying efforts to provide sustainable training and funding programs that promote the economic empowerment of young people, emphasizing that investing in their potential is the foundation for building a more sustainable future in Ajloun Governorate.

It is worth mentioning that the “Safe Youth Political Rural Space” operates under the umbrella of Intermediaries of Change Center for Sustainable Development, in partnership with the Ajloun Community Radio, and in cooperation with the German Rosa Luxemburg Foundation, and aims to promote the developmental and civic participation of youth in rural communities.