NINEVEH, DUHOK, Iraq (ILO News)– This video provides a behind-the-scenes look at the preliminary work done for the implementation of the Job Search Club (JSC) ILO methodology in Iraq. The initiative aims to help youths from both local and refugee communities find suitable work in a short period of time.
First launched in Egypt in 2014, the JSC initiative is based on a two-week group training that supports youths in their job search activities. JSCs are peer-to-peer projects that bring together individuals facing similar challenges in entering the labour market, where they receive intensive coaching on job search-related skills from trained facilitators.
Following an initial assessment of their personal interests, skills, and occupational goals, members learn how to gather job leads from various sources, conduct job interviews, fill out applications, write CVs, and handle stressful situations, among other skills.
Iraq launched the project in March, planning to support at least 200 young women and men job seekers from displaced and host communities in the Duhok and Ninawa governorates. In Egypt, over 3,000 youths have joined the intensive JSC training activities so far, while over 1,400 have participated in Jordan, with Lebanon shortly following suit in the project’s implementation.
The JSC initiative also creates a support group and network that fosters successful job hunting among the participants. Members of the club meet daily under the supervision of ILO-trained coordinators, who provide them with the guidance, information, and tools they need to find decent work opportunities. At the end of the two-week intensive program, job seekers from the JSC benefit from a further three-month window in which they receive assessments on their employment status.
JSCs are carried out by the ILO, in cooperation with its implementing partner, Caritas Czech Republic (CCR), and supported by the Kingdom of the Netherlands through the PROSPECTS Partnership.