Phenix Centre for Economic Studies has concluded 20 awareness sessions for youth in Karak governorate, as part of the project on “Increasing the legal awareness and economic empowerment of youth in Al-Karak governorate”, which was implemented in cooperation with Expertise France and funded by the European Union.
Dr Abdul Hay Al-Habashneh, of the Vigilance Forum for Democratic Construction Association, presented the first theme of the sessions, titled "Workers' Rights in Jordan's Labour and Social Security Laws."
The Labour Law and the Social Security Law were addressed as the building blocks for ensuring decent work conditions and the first step to preventing the exploitation of workers. The concept of employment contract, wages, working hours and dismissal were also explained.
The sessions also addressed the most important variables of the labour market, and how to choose between professional and academic specialities. This was presented by Dr Rafah Al-Tarawneh, who specializes in entrepreneurship, the labour market and improving livelihoods.
Tarawneh introduced the youth to the concept of the labour market, its types, and the challenges faced by young people, such as low wages, high unemployment rates, as well as the changes that were imposed by the Coronavirus pandemic on the labour market. She also defined the skills that the youth must have to ease their access to jobs, in light of these changes.
Tarawneh discussed the challenges faced by the youth when choosing their educational paths between vocational and academic education, based on social considerations, and the prevailing stereotype about non-academic professions in the region. Additionally, a series of successful stores was presented on young men and women who chose vocational and technical education and training, through which they were able to find jobs or open their own businesses.
The project "Increasing the legal awareness and economic empowerment of youth in Al-Karak Governorate" aims to enhance the abilities and skills of the youth of both sexes in Al-Karak governorate, and to raise awareness on the issues related to the labour market, to enhance their abilities to enter the labor market.