"Youth, Technology, and Jobs" Face the Sustainability Test.. Experts to Alrai: Converting Digital Skills into Income and Permanent Job Opportunities is the Criterion

This phase is particularly important given the need to ensure the continuity of job opportunities after the end of support, and not leaving them hostage to temporary funding or limited-duration training programs, alongside enhancing companies' ability to retain talent and expand the base of available jobs.

Economic experts, speaking to Alrai, believe that the success of the project cannot be measured by the number of trainees or beneficiaries alone, but by its ability to convert digital skills into permanent jobs and regular income, and to build a more effective link between training and market needs, while maintaining the integration between employment and entrepreneurship as complementary paths to enhance productivity and economic growth.

5,935 income opportunities... and the test in their sustainability

According to the latest project data, the number of beneficiaries who reported new documented income opportunities rose to 5,935 beneficiaries by June 2026, compared to a final goal of 10,000 beneficiaries, while there is a contractual path for about 5,000 additional opportunities being verified through the Public Institution for Social Security.

Dr. Yazan Allaya Al-Khasawneh, an economic expert and specialist in artificial intelligence and digital skills, told Alrai that reaching 5,935 beneficiaries reflects the project's ability to reach a wide segment of youth, but it is not enough alone to judge the project's success.

He explained that the most important question is the fate of the beneficiary after obtaining a job or income, and whether they will continue in the labor market, gain experience that allows them to transition to a better opportunity, and achieve more stable income.

He emphasized that reaching the final goal of 10,000 beneficiaries is an important step, but the greater importance lies in knowing the number of those who actually continued to work after the end of support, considering that these indicators should be prioritized during the proposed extension period.

Dr. Bilal Al-Wadi, CEO of the Jordanian Association for Entrepreneurship, told Alrai that the achieved results reflect a positive path in the project's ability to convert training and digital programs into real and measurable income opportunities.

He added that the importance of these opportunities is not only related to their number, but also to the nature of the transformation they represent, in light of the expansion of the digital economy, remote work, independent services, and technical jobs, stressing that every sustainable income opportunity based on skill and productivity represents an economic and social value.

12.4 thousand trainees... from certificate to the labor market

The number of people trained by the project-supported training service providers rose to 12,429, equivalent to 83% of the final goal of 15,000, while the number of Jordanians among the trainees was 7,056, exceeding the final goal of 4,800.

Al-Khasawneh believes that training should not be the final measure of the project's success, pointing out that Jordan has trained large numbers of youth over the past years, while the challenge remains in the transition from training to employment.

He said that the real economic value appears when skill is converted into a job, and is used within the work environment, and the youth retains their job, and their income improves over time, not just by obtaining a training certificate.

He stressed the importance of continuously reviewing the quality of skills, especially since the digital labor market is changing rapidly, calling for enhancing training in the fields of artificial intelligence, data analysis, cybersecurity, and cloud computing, and linking programs to actual corporate needs.

Al-Wadi emphasized that digital skills have become one of the main pillars of employment, production, and economic growth, and the impact of training increases as it is linked to market needs, practical application, experience within companies, and recognized professional certificates.

He pointed to the importance of measuring the percentage of trainees who have transitioned to the labor market, their job continuity, income growth, and the extent to which their jobs are linked to the skills they have acquired, alongside the percentage of those working in the digital economy or providing services to foreign markets.

An additional $2 million for employment support

Within the proposed restructuring, $2 million will be redirected to employment support, raising its allocation from $11.5 million to $13.5 million, to fund additional on-the-job training opportunities and wage incentives, prioritizing Syrian refugees and members of Jordanian host communities.

Al-Khasawneh considers the increase in employment allocations logical at this stage, especially since the problem does not always lie in the absence of skill, but in the lack of practical experience that makes companies more willing to hire youth.

He explained that on-the-job training places the youth in a real production environment and gives them a chance to prove their abilities, while wage incentives help reduce the initial hiring cost for companies.

However, he warned against turning support into a means of maintaining temporary jobs, stressing that the success of the program should be measured by the companies' ability to retain employees after the end of support, so that funding becomes an entry to a sustainable job rather than a substitute for it.

Al-Wadi agreed on the importance of expanding this path, noting that combining practical training with employment support can enhance the direct transition from training to the labor market and increase companies' ability to attract youth and new graduates.

He added that these programs become more effective when they focus on high-growth sectors, especially technology, the digital economy, and modern services.

760 thousand students... a human base for the digital economy

In education, the number of students in grades 7 to 12 who received the digital skills curriculum rose to 760,554 by June 2026, compared to the final goal of 300,000 students, more than double the target.

Al-Khasawneh believes that this number represents a long-term investment in Jordanian human capital, but it does not automatically mean that students possess skills capable of producing economic value.

He explained that a student who learns a digital skill today can become part of the labor market in the future, start a company, or work with companies outside Jordan and provide digital services to global markets.

However, he stressed that the success of this investment requires an economy capable of absorbing these skills, saying that increasing the number of people who know technology must be accompanied by an increase in the number of companies and opportunities that actually use technology.

Al-Wadi described reaching more than 760,000 students as a strategic achievement, considering it to establish a broad human base capable of dealing with the requirements of the digital economy.

He emphasized that what is required in the coming years is the transition from teaching students to use technology to enabling them to produce and develop it, through a path that starts with basic digital skills and progresses to programming, artificial intelligence, data analysis, and cybersecurity, up to practical training, employment, freelancing, and business establishment.

Employment and entrepreneurship... integration, not competition

The proposed amendment includes canceling the activity of granting start-ups, with reallocation of funds, and retaining other activities within the entrepreneurship development path, including technical assistance and training for eligible start-ups, while the document confirmed that no funds were spent on start-up grants.

Al-Khasawneh believes that directing part of the funding towards employment can be understood if the current priority is to achieve faster results in the labor market, but he stressed the need not to abandon start-ups as a future source of jobs and growth.

He said that the issue is not about funding start-ups per se, but about choosing projects that can actually grow, expand, and create jobs, by focusing on companies that have a real product, a clear market, and an opportunity for growth.

Al-Wadi said that employment and entrepreneurship are complementary paths, as employment provides youth with income and direct experience, while start-ups create new sectors, attract investments, and provide jobs for others.

He pointed out that the existence of an entrepreneurial ecosystem that includes investment funds, incubators, accelerators, financing institutions, and multiple support programs allows for the continuation of support for start-ups through other channels, in parallel with increasing focus on employment.

52.9 million digital transactions... and government services expand

At the level of government digital transformation, the project recorded 52,896,189 transactions through digital government services, exceeding the goal of 5 million transactions by more than ten times.

The number of digitized government services increased to 178, against a target of 100, while the percentage of digitally enabled government payment services increased from 30% to 80.2%.

During the second quarter of 2026, the digital receipts system was completed, and integration with the 'Sind' platform via 'E-Fawateerkum' became a factor, with continued official verification by a third party.

Private sector investments mobilized by the project in digital services increased from $15.95 million to about $16.6 million, equivalent to 83% of the final target of $20 million.

The number of beneficiaries of digital skills among IT companies and outsourcing services supported through 'GrowJo Talent' increased to 3,515, up from 3,091 previously, while the number of companies supported for expansion increased to 50, achieving the final target for this indicator.

The number of beneficiaries of technology centers was 3,391 until June 2026, an increase of 60% from the first quarter, coinciding with the operation of the Aqaba and Irbid centers.

Extension... an opportunity to measure impact, not just increase numbers

The proposed amendment extends the project's closing date from February 28, 2027, to August 31, 2028, to allow time to complete activities and results that are still being implemented or verified.

It also includes redirecting $1.8 million to project management and implementation support, along with $2 million for operational support, without changing the project's total cost of $200 million.

The justifications for the extension indicate that a number of activities have reached advanced stages but need additional time to complete training, employment, and verification of results, including programs targeting youth in the governorates and Syrian participants, as well as training on digital platform services under 23 active agreements.

In light of this, experts believe that the extension period represents an opportunity to transition the project from measuring the volume of activity to measuring its impact, particularly in job sustainability, income growth, productivity improvement, and companies' ability to retain talent after support ends.

According to Al-Khasawneh, the final question the project should answer is whether Jordan now has more youth capable of obtaining sustainable income and companies more capable of creating real jobs.

Al-Wadi believes that investing in digital skills can become one of the most important assets of the Jordanian economy if the link between education, training, employment, entrepreneurship, and foreign markets is completed.

Thus, the next phase of the project appears to be a real test of its ability to transform funding, programs, and achieved numbers into sustainable economic impact, so that the result does not end with the end of support, but rather begins a new cycle of work, production, income, and growth.