Zarqa, April 28 (Petra) The Employment Support Unit at the Zarqa Chamber of Industry concluded the activities of the "Enhancing Sustainable Employment in Export-Oriented Companies" project, in collaboration with the "Trade for Employment" (T4E) project, implemented by the German Agency for International Cooperation (GIZ) on behalf of the German Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development.

Speaking at the closing ceremony, Secretary-General of the Ministry of Industry, Trade, and Supply, Dana Zoubi, stressed that supporting the industrial sector is a government priority under the Economic Modernization Vision, which identified five key industrial sectors to drive development.

Zoubi said that employment is a cornerstone of the national industrial policy, developed in partnership with the private sector. She highlighted initiatives aimed at reducing energy, water, and transport costs, thereby lowering production costs and boosting the competitiveness of the industrial sector.

President of the Zarqa Chamber of Industry, Fares Hammoudeh, said that the industrial sector accounts for more than 25 percent of the kingdom’s total workforce, despite challenges related to the mismatch between academic, technical, and vocational education outputs and labor market needs.

He added that the Chamber has developed a long-term strategy to enhance its services for the industrial sector, both in terms of infrastructure improvements and through training programs and joint projects with the public and private sectors and international donors. He affirmed that the collaboration with the Trade for Employment project has led to the successful achievement of the project’s targeted indicators within a record timeframe.

Lara Abu Saleem, Deputy Director of the T4E Project, noted that reactivating the Employment Support Unit at the Zarqa Chamber was a practical response to labor market needs, aiming to empower youth and job seekers while supporting industrial sector growth as a key driver of the national economy.

The event concluded with a panel discussion on interventions required to bridge the gap between vocational education programs and the needs of the industrial labor market, with participation from Dana Zoubi, Director-General of the Vocational Training Corporation; Ahmad Gharaibeh, digital transformation expert Laura Hammoud, and CEO of the Alryadieh Packaging Material Company Saleh Muneer.

//Petra// AF

28/04/2025 21:01:36