Skills for Decent Work is a 13-month vocational training and employment initiative implemented by Rwanga Foundation in partnership with the International Labour Organization and local technical and public-sector partners across Erbil, Duhok, Sulaymaniyah and Nineveh, Iraq.

The project addresses the persistent mismatch between vocational training and actual labour-market demand. Young people particularly women, refugees, internally displaced persons, returnees, persons with disabilities and vulnerable host-community members often face limited access to practical skills, employment services, business support and professional networks. At the same time, public vocational training centres require stronger curricula, qualified trainers and closer engagement with employers.

The project responds through an integrated pathway from skills to decent work. Employers and communities help identify occupations with genuine employment potential. Participants are then profiled and matched with suitable competency-based training in areas including solar energy, digital marketing, mobile repair, sewing, mechanics, air conditioning, CCTV systems, hospitality, sales and greenhouse production.

Training combines technical, digital, green, entrepreneurial and life skills. Graduates receive job-matching support, career guidance, coaching and connections with employers. Selected graduates also participate in the ILO’s Start and Improve Your Business programme to develop viable self-employment opportunities.

The project also strengthens the public TVET system by developing trainers, reviewing and standardizing curricula, providing equipment and integrating labour-market evidence into future training. Community leaders and local volunteers support outreach, encourage inclusive participation and help reach people who might otherwise remain excluded.

By combining community engagement, international technical expertise, public-sector ownership and employer participation, the project creates sustainable pathways to income while leaving stronger local institutions and training systems beyond the project period.

The project’s goal is to enable 600 vulnerable people aged 18–34 across Erbil, Duhok, Sulaymaniyah and Nineveh to gain market-relevant, competency-based vocational skills and convert those skills into sustainable employment or self-employment.

The project aims to ensure that at least 50% of participants are women and that persons with disabilities, refugees, internally displaced persons, returnees and vulnerable host-community members have equitable access to training and employment opportunities.

Alongside individual economic empowerment, the project seeks to strengthen Iraq’s public vocational training system through employer informed occupational selection, improved curricula, qualified trainers, modern equipment and evidence-based quality assurance.

The long-term goal is to establish an inclusive and replicable model that connects community outreach, vocational training, entrepreneurship, employers and public institutions contributing to decent work, social inclusion and stronger community resilience.

The project has generated strong demand, receiving 5,454 applications from young people seeking vocational and employment opportunities. Participants have been profiled and matched with training based on their interests, abilities and local labour-market demand.

Seventeen market-relevant occupational programmes have been introduced across four governorates, covering areas such as solar energy, digital marketing, mobile repair, sewing, mechanics, air conditioning, CCTV systems, sales, hospitality and greenhouse production.

To date, 225 participants have completed vocational training. Women represent 44% of completers, while 12 persons with disabilities 5.3% of all completers have successfully participated. The project continues working toward its overall target of 600 participants, with a strong focus on women, refugees, internally displaced persons, returnees and vulnerable host communities.

Participant feedback demonstrates the quality and relevance of the intervention. Based on 173 evaluation responses across 11 courses:

• Overall satisfaction reached 92.9%.
• Trainer performance received an average rating of 4.52 out of 5.
• 96% of respondents considered the training relevant to their needs.

The project is also producing lasting institutional results. Twenty-five public vocational training centre staff have undertaken pedagogical certification, essential training equipment has been provided, and ten vocational curricula are being reviewed and updated to reflect current and emerging labour-market needs.

Selected graduates are receiving entrepreneurship support through the ILO’s Start and Improve Your Business programme, while employment connections, coaching and tracer studies are being used to monitor employment and self-employment outcomes.

Beyond participant numbers, the project is strengthening cooperation among communities, employers, international partners and public institutions. This creates a sustainable model that can improve future vocational training cohorts and expand inclusive pathways to decent work across Iraq.