Omar Al Hasan is a Syrian Refugee who came to Jordan in 2012. When Omar arrived in Jordan, he was in the 6th grade. He pursued his education until the 9th grade but had to dropout from his school due to many challenges and circumstances faced on a personal level.
In July 2022, Omar graduated from Luminus Technical University College (LTUC) and received his TVET BTEC Diploma, a British international recognized diploma, in Business Development. This was possible with the support of UNESCO within its partnership with the Government of the Republic of Korea to provide accredited and internationally recognized TVET opportunities to vulnerable Jordanian and Syrian refugee youth. Through this programme, Omar and his peers were also able to complete a one-month on-the-job training programme where they were placed with different public and private employers and had the opportunity to experience being in a real workplace environment. The programme, which started in 2016, was implemented with LTUC and benefitted overall 761 young men and women (428 females/ 333 males; 440 Syrians/ 321 Jordanians).
Directly after the diploma, 29 graduates had the opportunity to take part in a short intensive entrepreneurship course. The course helped students apply their newly developed knowledge and skills in a professional environment. It also equipped them with the skills and tools to translate their business ideas into project proposals and provided them with the right language and tools to pitch their ideas to companies and potential donors. In addition to that, during the course students submitted business plans, and two of them won a grant of JOD 250 each to help them start their projects.
After the entrepreneurship course, Omar, who works as a tailor, created business accounts on social media platforms to target more people and showcase his work. He also used his graphic design skills to design and create online ads to increase shop sales. “Before this course, I didn’t know anything about business administration and online marketing. I had no previous experience and zero skills, but now I feel empowered and more confident”.
Omar said that this diploma changed his life as he learned new things and developed his knowledge and skills. Omar added that before this diploma, he felt that his opportunities in life were limited, but now he is exposed to new jobs and more opportunities and experiences.
