Pathways To Youth Empowerment (PYE) is a program designed to provide access to informal, tertiary, and vocational education and other skills training to marginalized and displacement-affected youth in Jordan, including Syrian refugee youth.

Overview.

PYE addresses myriad challenges facing refugee and marginalized youth in Jordan by providing a program mix of online education, critical soft-skills training, individualized mentoring, internships, and small business loans so that vulnerable youth in Jordan can transition from unemployment to sustainable livelihoods.

Youth Profile.

250 unemployed, marginalized and displacement-affected youth in Jordan, including Syrian refugee youth, between the ages of 18-30 (annually). At least 60% of program participants are Syrian refugee youth, and 50% are female. 

PYE only operates in Amman, Irbid, and Maan.

Goal/Objectives.

Through PYE, LOYAC and its program partners* provide pathways to livelihoods for disadvantaged and refugee youth in Jordan by offering:

  • A blended approach to education, with best-in-class online education paired with in-person mentoring. 
  • A training matrix to complement the PYE educational program with soft, vocational, and English language skills training, supported by access to grants or internship placements. 
  • Individualized guidance towards career opportunities and life paths that meet and nurture individual needs, creativity, and aptitudes. 

How it Works.

500 Syrian refugee and Jordanian youth are selected to participate in the program after livelihood counselling sessions conducted in the target communities by representatives from the Danish Refugee Council (DRC). 

  • Selected youth are divided into two cohorts of 250 each, with each cohort running for 1.5 years. 

  • The priority group that PYE targets in this vulnerable group of youth are females and Syrian refugees. The priority group that PYE targets in this vulnerable group of youth are females and Syrian refugees. 

  • Counseling sessions are conducted by livelihood mentors that evaluate each youth’s:

    • Level of education,
    • English language skills,
    • Livelihood options,
    • Work experience and skills, and
    • Career interests.
  • Livelihood mentors then work with youth to ensure their livelihood pathway choice is in harmony with local market needs.

Pathways To Youth Empowerment

Once a livelihood path is selected, there are two distinct tracks for youth to follow in PYE: one for entrepreneurship and the other for formal job seekers

  1. PYE Job Seekers: Youth placed in the formal job seekers track in the PYE program are provided with English language, vocational, and soft skills training, as well as access to courses on computer science, business management, entrepreneurship, website development, social work, graphic design, economics, data analysis, and more. LOYAC then leverages its network of partner companies and organizations to match youth in the formal employment track with paid internships and sector-specific work placements. Follow-up mentorship and support for the duration of the program, or 1.5 years.
  2. PYE Entrepreneurs: For youth placed in the entrepreneurial track in the PYE program, access to business grants are offered to help youth start their own business, following the completion of soft skills and vocational training. Before an entrepreneurial track applicant receives a grant, each business model and proposal is evaluated by a committee of DRC livelihood specialists to assess: feasibility, quality of marketing strategy, budget and financial plan, the applicant’s skills and experience, and long-term market viability. PYE grant recipients receive complimentary, tailored business support and mentorship from DRC’s livelihood staff for the duration of the program, or 1.5 years.

All youth who take part in PYE continue to have free access to advanced courses from the Kiron learning platform.

Partners.

The PYE program is implemented by LOYAC in partnership with the Danish Refugee Council (DRC), Kiron and Coursera, and is funded by Novo Nordisk.

PYE in Numbers.

By 2023, 250 PYE participants will receive small business grants and 250 will be placed in vocational internships with mentoring and eventually, job placement.

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