Princess Alia inaugurates vocational training facility at Zaha Cultural Centre

AMMAN — HRH Princess Alia Tabbaa on Monday inaugurated the applied vocational training facility at Zaha Cultural Centre (ZCC), which aims to empower and train Syrian and Jordanian youth who are over the age of 18. 

The facility, funded by the European Union, was launched by the Jordan Red Crescent (JRC) in cooperation with the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies (IFRC) to expand national productivity and reduce unemployment, according to the ZCC spokesperson.

“The future of the country lies in the hands of children and young people, the centre’s main target group,” said President of the JRC Mohammad Hadid during the ceremony. 

He noted that the JRC shares with the centre the desire to empower the local community to enable youth to find better job opportunities and compete in the local market.

Muftah Etwilb, head of the IFRC’s Jordan office, said that the federation has supported 6,500 beneficiaries so far. He noted that the vocational training centre is the IFRC’s first project in 2020 of many to come.

During the event, Amman Deputy Mayor Mekhled Al Manaseer said that the idea of building the vocational training facility came out of the local community’s need for applied vocational jobs in addition to other occupations.  

The facility is expected to increase the national income, reduce unemployment among young men and women and open new doors for those who couldn’t pursue their studies or couldn’t find jobs suitable to their fields, Mekhled added.

Encouraging other people to join the training programme, four Syrian women who have benefitted from the programme prior to its official inauguration discussed the opportunities they were given, the impact of the centre on their lives and their hopes and ambitions. 

They also voiced thanks and appreciation for the efforts made to facilitate their educational journeys.

ZCC encourages the local community to be active in society by providing vocational training courses, psychological guidance meetings, counselling sessions and educational zones for children.