LoYAC Jordan renews partnership agreement with King Abdullah II Fund for Development

In 2013 and for the third consecutive year, LoYAC Jordan and King Abdullah II Fund for Development (KAFD) have renewed their partnership agreement. KAFD has again pledged its support for LoYAC’s main program “Darb”, a summer internship program aimed at bridging the gap between education and employment by better preparing students for the workplace and enhancing their independence and sense of responsibility. Darb program 2013 is financed by KAFD with the support and funding from the Ministry of Planning and International Cooperation, the Ministry of Labor and the Employment-Technical and Vocational Education and Training Fund (E-TVET Fund).

The agreement was signed by Mr. Qais Qatamin, the Director of KAFD,  Mrs. Hiam Azar, Chairwoman of LoYAC Jordan and Rula Jardaneh, Managing Director of LoYAC Jordan and a member of the Board of Directors.

Mr. Qais Qatamin commented by saying that “every year the program is growing exponentially; the applications are increasing in number, and the challenge lies in securing as many internship opportunities as possible so as to be able to expose more students to a real professional environment that relates to their field of study.”

The Darb program has also become popular among students, who along the years have witnessed the benefits of enrollment, from the modest salary they collect, to the experience they get to add on their resumes and the on-the-job-training they receive; and some even managed to prove their skills enough to secure part-time or full time positions after the internship.

 “This year we have received over 6500 applications from students all over the Kingdom. After screening all the applications we carried out a two-day capacity building training for all the students; we are currently conducting one-on-one interviews to match available opportunities with the right candidates.” said Mrs. Hiam Azar, Chairwoman of LoYAC. .” She added that “KAFD has played a significant role in taking the program beyond the Capital City of Amman and into other governorates across the Kingdom.”