The World Bank has approved the restructuring of the Youth, Technology, and Jobs – Employment and Skills Project in Jordan, aimed at “enhancing implementation efficiency, broadening impact, increasing the number of beneficiaries, and better aligning workforce skills with labor market needs.”
اضافة اعلان
According to a World Bank evaluation report, the restructuring maintains the project’s strategic objectives, which focus on supporting employment opportunities for Jordanians, particularly for target groups such as women and youth.
Launched in April 2022 to support the National Employment Program in response to the COVID-19 crisis, the project seeks to accelerate job recovery and boost youth employment (ages 18–40) in the private sector.
The report explained that the restructuring followed a thorough review of performance indicators and progress, aiming to merge overlapping activities under unified components to reduce duplication and maximize financial resources.
Key Amendments
Merging practical training, skills programs, and occupational safety activities into a single sub-component titled “Skills Training for Qualified New Employees.”
Creating a new sub-component for advanced skills training focusing on high-demand jobs in Jordan’s labor market, aligned with private sector needs and market developments.
Funding Disbursement
The project’s total financing amounts to USD 112 million through a World Bank loan. By the end of June, USD 46.5 million had been disbursed, representing 41.5% of the total. Spending is expected to accelerate following the restructuring.
As part of the restructuring, the Bank reallocated USD 1.2 million from Component 1 (supporting the National Employment Program) to Component 2 (project management, monitoring, and evaluation), to strengthen administrative capacity, improve monitoring systems, enhance execution quality, and speed up planned activities.
Project Components
Support for the National Employment Program – initially USD 110 million, now USD 108.8 million after reallocation. This component funds on-the-job training grants, wage subsidies, skills development programs, and incentives to hire target groups such as women and persons with disabilities.
Project Management, Monitoring & Evaluation – increased from USD 1.7 million to USD 2.9 million. This includes monitoring and evaluation activities, reporting, surveys, financial audits, and administrative support to ensure transparency and effective implementation.
The World Bank also decided to transfer responsibility for supervising Component 2 from the Ministry of Planning and International Cooperation to the Ministry of Labor, to improve coordination, reduce administrative hurdles, and accelerate implementation and disbursement.
Extension of Project Timeline
The Bank approved an 18-month extension, moving the project’s closing date to November 30, 2028. This aims to complete remaining activities, expand impact to reach more beneficiaries, and ensure achievement of all target indicators.
The report highlighted “significant progress” in several areas, including support for thousands of beneficiaries through on-the-job training programs, strengthening public-private partnerships—particularly in direct post-training employment—and improving government program management systems linked to the labor market.
Future Plans include:
Expanding the beneficiary base, with a greater focus on disadvantaged groups.
Strengthening the link between project-funded training and direct employment opportunities in the private sector.
Enhancing cooperation with vocational training and technical education institutions to develop curricula aligned with market needs.
Improving monitoring systems to measure the project’s impact on employment and productivity.
The National Employment Program forms part of the government’s broader labor market reform and economic growth strategy, aligning with Jordan’s Economic Modernization Vision 2033, which aims to create one million new jobs, strengthen the link between education, training, and labor market needs, and increase women’s and youth participation in the economy.
--(Al-Mamlaka TV)
