81313831-Improving skills for employment in the Kurdistan Region of Iraq

Refugees, IDPs and host communities in Iraq face a high level or high risk of poverty stemming from the lack of prospects for income-generating employment. Job-seeking refugees, IDPs and people in host communities often have insufficient qualifications for existing jobs and/or the qualifications are not recognised. Vocational training courses and employment support services are often inadequately geared to the needs of the labour market. Alternative entry points to the primary labour market - such as internships and the associated work-based learning - are mostly unpaid and therefore unattractive for young people. Existential constraints push vulnerable labour market participants into taking advantage of short-term, informal job opportunities that do not offer prospects for long-term decent employment. This is further exacerbated by lacking awareness of relevant authorities about the special labour market needs of marginalised groups. In addition, women are severely disadvantaged on the Iraqi labour market. 46% of the Iraqi population opposes women working outside the family. Despite very low participation in the labour market, this results in 28.2% of women of working age being unemployed (compared to 14.7% of men) and there being far fewer female than male entrepreneurs. Women account for just 11% of the working population. Similarly, people with disability are confronted with major barriers when trying to enter the labour market. And this even though according to the Committee on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities, Iraq"s population of persons with disabilities is one of the biggest worldwide. The Technical Vocational Education and Training (TVET) sector in Iraq is undergoing significant reforms to address the growing need for skilled workers in the labour market. However, vast challenges remain, particularly regarding marginalised groups" access to acquiring market-relevant skills and transitioning to employment. In addition, the cooperation with the private sector remains insufficient, especially with regards to developing dual/ cooperative vocational training models. Against this backdrop, the German Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development (BMZ) commissioned Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ) GmbH to implement the project "Employment Prospects for Socioeconomic Integration of Refugees, IDPs and Host Communities in Iraq" (EPSI). In collaboration with the Ministry of Labour and Social Affairs (MoLSA) of Iraq and the Kurdistan Region of Iraq (KRI) the project aims to promote inclusive employment and entrepreneurship opportunities in the country. Its overall objective reads as follows: "The employment situation of refugees, internally displaced persons (IDPs) and people from host communities has improved." The project focusses on four outputs: 1) Policy Advocacy: Raising awareness among state actors through evidence-based findings to improve the integration of refugees, IDPs and marginalised groups in host communities into labour market policy. 2) Skills for Employment: Developing market-relevant skills to enhance the employability of the target groups through vocational training and career development centres by upgrading or developing curricula and upskilling teachers. 3) Fit for Business: Building and developing entrepreneurial and business skills as well as providing financial support to MSMEs. 4) Short-term Employment Opportunities: Providing temporary employment opportunities, such as Cash for Work, for quick income generation to address the immediate financial needs of the target groups. GIZ intends to contract a service provider to contribute to fulfil output 2 in KRI. The objective of output 2 is to improve labour market skills of refugees, IDPs (including returned IDPs) and vulnerable people in host communities. It seeks to cooperate with vocational training centres in setting up or enhancing modular TVET measures that meet the demand of the local labour market.