Employment Fair & Training Expo takes place in Karak

The United States Agency for International Development (USAID), through the Sustainable Achievement of Business Expansion and Quality Program (SABEQ) and in collaboration with the Ministry of Labor, the first "Employment Fair & Training Expo for the Southern Region" begins its activities in Karak.

The objective of the Fair is to reduce the extent of unemployment in Jordan and to provide the youth and the unemployed of the region with employment opportunities and prospects to enhance their quality of life, through matching job seekers with employers in the region.

The Fair will be open for two days, at the Hussan Cultural Center -from 15 to 16 March 2008 from 10:00 am to 5.00 pm daily.

The event is held under the patronage of the Minister of Labor His Excellency Bassem Khalil Al Salem and in the attendance of USAID Mission Director Jay Knott and USAID/SABEQ Program Chief of Party Mr. Rodrigo Ortiz.

In parallel to the job fair, USAID, through the USAID-funded SABEQ Program launched the "Product and Services Expo" in Karak to support local partners and Women NGOs in establishing a permanent exhibition center to display their handicraft and agricultural products. By identifying local partners, USAID/SABEQ has been able to assess the need to support the producers' marketing activities within the governorates and prioritize the development of the tourism and agricultural sectors. The objective of this support in turn will create competitiveness and create job opportunities throughout the region, especially for women.

A unique aspect of this year's event is a new tactic in approaching critical topics of unemployment and culture of shame. These topics were addressed by using an interactive theatre whereby the audience was encouraged to participate in discussing and solving the aforementioned issues played out by the actors.

In highlighting the importance of the Employment Fair and Training Expo for the Southern Region, USAID/SABEQ Chief of Party Rodrigo Ortiz noted: "USAID/SABEQ is proud to support this initiative as it focuses on matching employment opportunities with available jobs. In order to achieve this, USAID and its partners in Jordan's public and private sectors are working closely to support such initiatives. This exhibition is designed to target the southern region and has a vital impact on the "unemployment combating" strategy. Furthermore, this exhibition is complementary to the Ministry of Labor's national employment exhibition held in Amman last November, and was supported by USAID/SABEQ."

Ortiz added, "job seekers will have the opportunity to benefit from other activities including an interactive theater, CV building, and attending training sessions that aim to develop job seekers skills."

Statistics issued by the Ministry of Planning and International Cooperation indicate that the Jordanian labor market is growing at the rate of 16% a year, and in 2007the market held around 48,171 graduates of Jordanian universities. The Fair is expected to attract substantial local and regional attendance.

The USAID-funded Sustainable Achievement of Business Expansion and Quality Program (SABEQ) is a five year broad economic development initiative implemented by BearingPoint, Inc. and a sizeable team of international and Jordanian partner firms. By both supporting improvements in the business environment and providing assistance to expand innovation and productivity in Jordanian businesses, to support the main objective of building up the private sector as a powerful engine of economic growth.