QUEST: Strengthening vocational training structures in Iraq

Iraq is slowly finding its way back to normality after decades of armed conflict. The economy is growing steadily, but so is the number of young people entering the labour market. The economy is heavily dependent on the export of oil and gas, and a diversified business landscape with its own companies and production (non-oil sector) is still emerging. The QUEST project (Qualification for Employment and Training) aims to strengthen competences in vocational qualification and education and to achieve better networking between the various public and private actors.

QUEST will use a wide range of different instruments to improve the provision of vocational training in Iraq. To this end, bbw is cooperating with vocational training institutions in four locations. Baghdad, Basra, Diyala and Diwaniya. The offer covers several steps, from vocational orientation to qualification of trainers, development of modern curricula, implementation of new courses and placement of course participants in jobs.

Creating job prospects through qualification and strengthening of training centres

In Iraq, a growing number of young people enter the local labour market every year, and few of them find adequate work. The economy outside the oil sector is weak, and the oil industry often employs higher-skilled foreign workers. This is increasingly leading to social discontent and both government and business want to focus more on engaging local skilled workers in the future. For this to happen, however, the vocational training system must become much more efficient.

Integration into the labour market

The core objective of the project is to interlink the three main components of vocational orientation, training and job placement. Prior to this, a labour market study is carried out to reveal the needs of the companies and the general situation of the labour market in the project region. In selected training centres, bbw trains the staff with the help of German and international experts in modern training methods and introduces new courses. A campaign to enhance interest in vocational training will complement the project so that young people and their families become aware of vocational training as an alternative to academic education, which often leads to unemployment.

The project is supported by giz and runs from December 2021 until May 2023.

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