The signing of employment contracts by 470 young men and women from Aqaba with private-sector companies was more than the conclusion of a training initiative. It reflected the city's ability to convert its investment profile into jobs for its residents - when companies' needs meet the skills of job-seekers, and when partnerships between public institutions and employers produce actual employment rather than meetings and memoranda of understanding.
اضافة اعلان
In a city where tourism, logistics, commerce and industry coexist, and where ports and related services give Aqaba a distinctive economic position, the scope for employment extends well beyond any single sector or trade. That diversity reinforces the importance of preparing young people for a labour market with varied needs - one that can absorb different specialisations whenever the relevant authorities read demand accurately and direct training accordingly.
The 'From Opportunity to Work' initiative, organised by the Aqaba Special Economic Zone Authority, drew its significance from the shift it represented: from general talk about employment prospects to an outcome documented by contracts. Participants signed agreements with 23 private-sector companies and institutions after roughly three months of preparation, training, and coordination between job-seekers and the participating firms.
Shadi Ramzi Al-Majali, Chairman of the Board of Commissioners, said the contracts represented a tangible result of an effective partnership with the participating companies. He said that building employment pathways around real market needs leads to direct, measurable job opportunities - a point that captures the essence of the initiative. Training becomes more worthwhile, he added, when the trainee knows from the outset which skills are required and what professional environment they are preparing to enter.
Al-Majali said the initiative began by identifying what companies needed, then moved to aligning skills and preparation, and concluded with direct contracting. That sequence, he said, gives the initiative its practical value, because it makes the available job the starting point in designing training - rather than developing general programmes and then searching for institutions willing to absorb their graduates.
Al-Majali called on young people to continue developing their skills, saying that an opportunity becomes more valuable when it is accompanied by skill, determination and effort. That call reflects the nature of a market that does not stop at securing a position but requires continuous development, particularly in fields where tools, service standards and management practices are constantly changing.
Expanding and refining the model
The fact that the initiative produced 470 contracts shows that coordination between the authority and the private sector can create a structured pathway into the labour market. The participation of 23 companies and institutions signals that the partnership is not built around a single employer but around a group of businesses whose involvement can serve as a foundation for expanding and improving the model.
This pathway connects to Aqaba's identity as a hub for large projects and diverse economic activity. Employment opportunities are not confined to direct positions within established firms; the nature of the local economy means they extend to support services, supply, transport, maintenance, operations and hospitality - opening possibilities for employees and small-business owners alike.
That picture carries shared responsibilities. The public authority can organise, coordinate and oversee preparation; the employer identifies the skills required and offers the contract; and the beneficiary must develop their capabilities and meet professional demands. When those roles complement one another, training comes closer to practical application and the hiring process depends less on chance and individual effort.
Osama Abu Talib, General Manager of the Captain Hotel, said: 'What we need is a young person who knows the job requirements before they start. Prior coordination on the skills required makes interviews more productive and gives both sides a better chance of building a stable working relationship.' He added: 'When training matches our actual needs, we can look at the applicant as a prospective employee who is capable of growing, not someone who needs to start from scratch. Broader engagement with the relevant bodies also helps us reach local talent who can contribute to the growth and continuity of our business.'
For young people, the move from searching for an opportunity to contracting for one changes the nature of the relationship with the labour market. Instead of waiting for a suitable advertisement or submitting repeated applications without a clear picture of requirements, the job-seeker becomes part of a process in which they know what they need to learn, how to prepare, and what the employer expects of them.
Mohammad Ataallah, one of the beneficiaries, said: 'I was looking for work without always knowing where the right opportunity for my skills would be found. Having a pathway that begins with preparation and ends with a contract makes the route clearer, and gives me the sense that the effort I put in is connected to a professional goal I can actually reach.' He added: 'The contract is a beginning, not an end, because keeping a job takes commitment and continuous learning. What I want is to prove my ability, gain experience that opens the way for advancement, and use this first job to understand the market, build self-confidence, and move from waiting for opportunities to being better prepared for them.'
Understanding the professional path
Ghadeer Al-Tarawneh, another participant, said: 'When job requirements are clear, training becomes more directly connected to what I will actually be doing, and that gives me greater confidence when entering the workplace. The coordination between the supervising authority and the company also helps me understand the professional path I am preparing to begin.'
Dr. Akram Al-Awad, a human development specialist, said the initiative offers an opportunity to build more precise knowledge of what companies need. He said the relevant bodies could draw on the communication that accompanied the initiative to identify recurring skill requirements and hard-to-fill vacancies, then direct preparation accordingly - making better use of resources and bringing training programmes closer to Aqaba's existing economic activity.
Al-Awad said that expanding employment pathways could complement support for small businesses linked to services the city requires, while cautioning against assuming that self-employment is a suitable alternative for every job-seeker. Aqaba needs qualified employees as much as it needs entrepreneurs who can read demand, he said, and each path has its own tools, requirements and risks that must be approached realistically.
That means, Al-Awad said, that describing Aqaba as a broad space of opportunity rests on the diversity of its economy and its capacity to generate renewed needs - but this requires sustained institutional effort to turn potential into clear entry pathways. A large project does not deliver its local impact simply by existing; it does so when its needs are connected to the community's skills, services and capacity to participate.
This article was originally written in Arabic by Al Ghad for Al Ghad.
