Job Gate 2022

Under the patronage of the Ministry of Labour and Social Affairs, the Institute of Human Resources Management (IHRM) held a two-day Forum entitled “Job Gate 2022” at the “Sheraton” Hotel in the Damascus.

The forum is the first of its kind in Syria as it is being held on the ground for two days and online  for one month at the same time, according to the Dr. Moneer Abbas, the IHRM’s Chairman of the Board of Directors.

Representatives of 50 companies, institutions and organizations representing all industrial sectors are receiving visitors at the forum on the ground, while more than 100 companies are taking part in the online forum presenting hundreds of job opportunities in the sectors of telecommunication, food and pharmaceutical industries, international organizations, banks and engineering companies.

A number of the companies that are participating online in the forum have branches in Damascus and other Syrian governorates, so job seekers can apply via internet for more than one job with the aim of meeting the needs of labor market.

“The forum seeks to introduce a new concept for activities related to job opportunities,” Dr. Abbas said, indicating that volunteers from the IHRM have managed and designed all the requirements of the forum, which included 12 training workshops run by well-qualified trainers and managers  of companies to guide job seekers and to provide them with main skills to enter labour market.

When you enter the form, you will be welcomed by a statistics team, who give you a form to fill it out with the aim of  counting the number of visitors and following up on the number of beneficiaries from the forum, i.e. the number of people who got a job from the forum.

Then, the journey of finding a job will start by the visitors, who are reading the names of the participating companies and asking about available opportunities.

Syria Times interviewed Eng. Dareen Al-Sheikh Ali, Marketing Manager at the Iran House of Innovation & Technology (IHIT), who said that they currently have 4 job opportunities and they are preparing data for wanted specialists to employ them later.

“IHIT was founded in 2020, and this participation is the first in the forum on job opportunities… The forum is important since it brings job seekers and employers together…I see that finding a job is an opportunity and the visitors are searching for the opportunity, which is ok for them and for the investors.”

There was a stand for the “Eaqa Entilaka” Initiative, which was launched in 2017 to enable the People With Disabilities (PWD) to enter the labour market.

Miss. Mouna Amqi, who launched the initiative told Syria Times that  the goal of the initiative is to train what she called “ People With Determination”, instead of the PWD to enable them to enter labour market through networking with public and private sectors.

“The goal of our participation in the current forum is to attract volunteers to be with us and to ensure jobs for the People  With Determination.. Our team have participated  in several activities such as TEDX Alzameh Street in 2021, and Riser Hup 2022… We cooperate with the Ministry of Labour and Social Affairs, Ministry of Tourism, Damascus University,  the Syria Trust for Development, JCI, Level Up Institute, IZONE Institute and other institutes,” she added.

Transportation is still the main obstacle that face the People With Determination, but there are communications with concerned parties to resolve this matter, according to Miss. Amqi.

The United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees (UNRWA) was also participating in the forum to guide job seekers on how to apply for jobs in international organizations via internet.

The stand of the International Education Specialists (idp)/ IELETS has attracted most of the visitors.

Country Manager at IDP IELTS Syria, Dr. Ibrahim El Hassan, told Syria Times: “ we have the honor to participate in the forum .. We are a multinational corporation (MNC), and we seek to ensure  opportunities for the Syrian youths to be teachers and examiners and administrative employees .  We would like to cooperate with educational  institutions and other institutions  with the aim of establishing relation.

He went on to say: “We need regularly a team of exam invigilators …  Our center included just 10 employees specialized in administrative works, counting , marketing because we are here since several months ago; however our company is available in more than 50 countries all over the world and our headquarters is in Australia … The forum is an opportunity for us as a brand awareness, So people can know our address in Syria to take IELTS exam.. We returned to Syria in August 2022 after 11- year-break .. We visit schools and universities to give them an idea about our center… The cost of IELTS exam is 1,260,000Syrian pounds.”

The forum , which is held on November 9-10, also offers training scholarships for job seekers, who visit the activity and take part in contests there.

Syriatel and the Syria Trust for Development are strategic partners in this activity.

Reported by: Basma Qaddour