"Goal for Life" project completed to employ female sports college graduates in Jordan

During the event's opening session, Al Nabulsi underscored the importance of such initiatives in empowering young women and creating employment opportunities.

The "Goal for Life" project has successfully completed its third phase, aiming to employ female sports college graduates in the Jordanian sports sector. It was part of broader efforts to economically empower women, create decent job opportunities, and reduce unemployment rates in the country.

The initiative, a collaboration between the International Labour Organization (ILO) Decent Work for Women Programme and the Ideal Face for Sports Consulting Company, "Mudarrib", with support from the Jordanian Ministry of Youth (MoY), focused on equipping participants with the necessary skills to work in fitness centers, educational institutions, and various sports facilities. It also addressed misconceptions and stereotypes about women's capabilities.

An event attended by the Jordanian Minister of Youth, Mohammed Salameh Al Nabulsi, project beneficiaries, and representatives of national partners, highlighted the project’s achievements and celebrated the contributions of national organisations since its inception in 2020. It also awarded project graduates who have successfully completed the internationally accredited training.

During the event's opening session, Al Nabulsi underscored the importance of such initiatives in empowering young women and creating employment opportunities. He said: “Today we are starting with an idea, but when we find that cooperation and joint work between the government, the private sector, and international organizations produce this elite group of graduates, it is a source of happiness for us." Minister Al Nabulsi added: "The Ministry of Youth and the Olympic Committee has a responsibility regarding organizing the work in this sector and developing it through the Youth Leadership Training Center. In addition, this program comes within two indicators of the National Youth Strategy, which are youth and physical health as well as youth and economic empowerment."

Reem Aslan, ILO Gender Specialist and Manager of the Decent Work for Women Programme, said "Goal for Life" educated participants on their labour rights and duties under Jordan's labour and social security laws. This education helps foster a decent work environment that enhances productivity and commitment.

She added: "The project reaffirms the vital role of the sports sector, a non-traditional field for women’s employment, in boosting women's economic participation in Jordan. It is aligned with the ILO strategy on skills and lifelong learning 2030, which aims to enable the development of resilient systems based on social dialogue that provides inclusive access to high quality skills development and lifelong learning opportunities to all to promote human development, full, productive and freely chosen employment and decent work for all.” 

This achievement aligns with Jordan's Economic Modernisation Vision and the Action Plan of the National Strategy for Women (2023-2025).

Tareq Abu Mailesh, founder and manager of "Mudarrib," said that the partnership with the ILO and the MoY was aimed at enhancing the fitness sector in Jordan by bridging the gap between educational outcomes from universities and other institutions and the demands of both the local and global labour markets. He elaborated: "The project not only provided the participants with essential practical skills but also equipped them with the knowledge and experience necessary to excel in the fitness sector."

Abu Mailesh added that the project’s first and second phases focused on providing the local labour market with qualified trainers holding nationally accredited certifications. The third phase was designed to prepare participants for the global labour market with international accreditations from organisations, such as EuropeActive (the European Health and Fitness Association - EHFA).

Jenan Juma’a, a trainee who fulfilled the training requirements, described the project as a vocational and skills milestone, saying: "The program worked from the beginning on refining the trainer's personality so that they are competent to enter the job market". Nada Mustafa, who also completed the training requirements, affirmed this by saying: "The program added a lot to us personally in terms of behaviors as trainers and how to deal with clients professionally, in addition to the cognitive aspect that helped me develop a clear action plan and basic guidelines to organize my thoughts and define my goals in line with the clients' objectives."The initiative was implemented as part of a collaborative project between the ILO and UN Women, supported by the Swedish International Development Cooperation Agency (Sida).

Sports play a vital role in achieving the United Nations' goals for development and peace. Recognising sports' positive impact on promoting human rights and fostering economic and social development, the UN General Assembly declared April 6 as the International Day of Sport for Development and Peace. This day underscores the importance of sports in promoting healthy lifestyles, cultural integration, educational values, and the preservation of human dignity without discrimination.