National Initiative to Train Youths to Enter Job Market
Exactly one year and fifteen days have passed since the launch of Khbrat initiative [Khbrat is a slang means: experiences], which aims to train youths free of charge to enter the job market.
The national initiative is a fruit of collective cooperation between well known Syrian companies , institutes and local community. It presents three programs on life skills, administrative training, and practical experience.
The team
The initiative’s general coordinator, Mr.Alaa Ed-Din al-Aeedy, told the Syria Times reporter, Basma Qaddour, that the “Khbrat” team includes four administrative coordinators, more than 30 volunteers working for the Syria Trust for Development, and around 20 trainers and partners.
Most of the team’s members attended the 1st annual forum held on Tuesday at Reda Saeed Hall in Damascus University to honor trained youths and partners.
1300 beneficiaries
Following the forum, al-Aeedy told us: “The initiative launched by the Syria Trust for Development was planning to train 800 youths in a year. But today the beneficiary number reached 1300 youths, who followed 74 training courses held in several companies in Damascus and Damascus countryside in a year.”
This success raised the team’s spirit and encouraged it to go ahead in this initiative, looking forward to spread such activities in other areas across Syria.
So thus, members of the “Khbrat” Facebook (Facebook.com/groups/khbrat ) reached 4500, according to the initiative’s coordinator’s remark.
Trainees speak
One of the beneficiaries, Miss. Yara Nashawati, a University student at Faculty of Architecture Engineering, said: “Last July, I followed a two-day course on Human Resources at Administrative Department in the Technical Company for Food Industry (Hana meats).I’ve been trained to present my architectural designs to be convinced to companies or individuals.”
Her colleague at the university, Mohammad al-Hamwi, who also took part in the same course, echoed the same words, adding: “I have also learned how to communicate with strangers.”
The youths’ trust in the initiative is one reason for the continuity of the national initiative, while the other one is partners’ full support.
Partners
Among the partners we can number: Syriatel, Asia Institute, the Technical Company for Food Industry, Succar Company, Katakit Company, Haram Exchange Company, and the Syrian Insurance Federation Company.
Mrs. Maha Shwihni, from “Succar” Company for Electronic Industries said: “We are a partner in this initiative because we believe in social responsibility towards governmental sector and local community and universities.”
She sees that the private sector has to play a key role besides the public one in developing society.
These words translated into action through holding several courses for university and school students at the company’s headquarter , and employing five distinguished youths (selected from the students followed the courses) in the company.
“The Secondary school students took part in the courses have learned how to set up a company and to build their profiles as they have now enough time to build themselves. They are creative and good and made excellent presentations,” said Mrs. Shwihni .
Mrs.Hivi Mustafa from ” Haram” Exchange Company said: “From the view point of human resources’ management, such courses are significant to enter job market. The company has selected a distinguished person from the course to join its staff.”
All these efforts seek to bridge the gap between academic study and job market.
In this context, a trainer accredited by the Trust, Mr. Mohammad Basatneh, told us: “The training courses are based on our study for the companies’ requirements. We train youths to be able to get a job in the market.
He is specialized in communication skills, body language, and team building. He is taking part in voluntary works to help university students and graduate ones to enter job market.
How to join courses
Regarding mechanism of joining courses, Basatneh clarified:” we put an advertisement about the courses in the Facebook and university centers. So the student can choose the course according to his/her interest.”
He asserted that all youths apply to do the courses are being accepted, and they can choose the course after consultations with the initiative’s team.
Basatneh sees that the interactive courses being convened within the framework of the “Khbrat” initiative as useful for both trainees and trainers.
The 2013 plan, as the initiative’s general coordinator declared, aims to hold around 150 courses to train 4000 youths.
The increasingly number of beneficiary and partners reflects the Syrian people’s challenge to the current difficult circumstances, and their determination to build their homeland.
Basma Qaddour