The Grand Hyatt Amman Hotel hosted a celebration to mark the graduation of 24 young Jordanians from the fourth year of the Youth Career Initiative (YCI) in Jordan. The graduates began the programme in November 2010 with the aim of learning a range of life and work skills that would enhance their employability as well as their expectations of a better future.
In 2007, the International Business Leaders Forum (IBLF) launched YCI Jordan in association with the Jordan River Foundation (JRF), under the patronage of Her Majesty Queen Rania. Three leading hotels in Amman championed the pilot programme: the Four Seasons Amman Hotel, the Marriott Amman Hotel and the Sheraton Al Nabil Hotel and Towers. In 2009, the Grand Hyatt Amman Hotel joined the initiative, and was soon followed by Le Meridien Amman Hotel in 2010. Since 2009, the King Abdullah II Fund for Development has provided financial support to enable the local operation and growth of the programme.
YCI is a 24-week education programme delivered in partnership with the international hotel industry that seeks to equip young people from disadvantaged backgrounds with valuable life and work skills in order to help them improve their employability and make informed career choices. In the words of Ms. Haya Al Attyat, a 2011 YCI Graduate who trained at the Four Seasons Amman:
“The programme is based on a holistic approach, including practical training and we also received an English course, computer skills, and soft skills training. When I started the programme, I hoped that it would later help me secure a suitable job that would provide me and my family with a steady income. By completing the programme, which helped me develop a lot of skills, I have achieved part of this dream, and now I can look forward to having a professional career.”
Speaking on behalf of the five participating hotels in Jordan, Mr Benno Geruschkat, General Manager, Grand Hyatt Amman, commended the good work of all organisations and individuals involved in enabling the success of the fourth year of YCI in Jordan, from the teams managing the programme to the teachers, mentors and parents of the students. He also congratulated the graduates for their commitment and enthusiasm, and looked forward to a brighter future for all of them:
"As you look back with great pride, I am sure that you are also looking ahead with great hope. As you do, it is my own hope that the skills that you have gained through this programme will lead to great success in your chosen fields of endeavour, whatever those may be."
Speaking at the ceremony, Mr Ghaleb Al-Qudah, Deputy Director General of JRF, explained how their partnership with the YCI programme helps the Foundation to deliver its mission of empowering disadvantaged local communities and young people.
The International Business Leaders Forum and the Jordan River Foundation will soon be exploring expansion opportunities in other important tourism centres across the country, including the potential involvement of a number of hotel companies that have supported the implementation of YCI programmes around the globe.
In the words of Mr Michael Nazzal, Chairman of the Jordan Hotels Association, “the tourism sector in Jordan will be requiring 25,000 qualified labour over the next five years. Therefore, programmes like YCI are very much relevant and needed, given the magnitude of the challenge within the industry.”
For more information, please contact: Alberto Canovas, Programme Manager, Youth Career Initiative at alberto.canovas@iblf.org or +44 207 467 3643.
Image below: YCI Jordan 2011 graduates, programme partners and hotel staff
