The economic hardships following the COVID-19 pandemic have heavily affected employment opportunities in the Euromed region, raising numbers of citizens at risk of poverty and social exclusion. The most vulnerable groups – youth and women – are facing, as a result, serious socio-economic challenges. Moreover, changing labour market demands and the growing importance of diversifying and investing in Sustainable Economy sectors to better cope with future economic and climate crises require reskilling or upskilling of youth as part of an effective response to such challenges.

Against this background, CLUSTER adapts multi-actors, integrated and regional approach, and aims to create a supportive environment for youth/women employment schemes, by equipping NEETs (Not in Education, Employment, or Training), in particular women, between 18-30 years of age, with employability skills in Blue Economy, Circular Economy, Green Economy and Sustainable Agriculture sectors, promoting long-lasting partnerships between Technical and Vocational Education and Training (TVET) institutions and the private sector, and raising awareness of public authorities and policy-makers.

The overall objective of CLUSTER is to tackle social exclusion and poverty amongst vulnerable groups in Cyprus, France, Italy, Jordan, Palestine, Spain, and Tunisia by capitalising on results of previous projects and equipping NEETs and women with marketable skills in the Sustainable Economy sectors. To that end.

CLUSTER will create lasting impact on its final beneficiaries across the Euromed region. Through online tools such as training courses, e-platform and coaching sessions, the project will impact at least 2800 young NEETs, strengthening their skills in sustainable economies and increasing their employment opportunities.

Employment services and education providers will boost their capacities to blend demand-supply skills, and economic actors will benefit from skilled youth workforce, which will contribute to long-term growth of the companies. Moreover, public operators in the Euromed area will be provided with tangible recommendations on the design of sustainable youth/women employment schemes based on designed Action Plans.

The CLUSTER project is co-funded by the European Union under the ENI CBC Mediterranean Sea Basin (ENI CBC Med) Programme, with the European Institute of the Mediterranean (IEMed) as the Lead Beneficiary and implemented through a consortium of partners from Italy, Cyprus, France, Jordan, Palestine and Tunisia.

To take part in the project and the future change, join The project network now and discover all the opportunities to contribute in the creation of long-lasting sustained partnerships in Jordan and abroad, and the possibility of networking with other Mediterranean organizations like yours!

By completing the questionnaire below you will make a fundamental contribution to the targeted four sectors and the Labour market.

On 18 May 2022, CLUSTER, represented by Mr. Ghaleb Hijazi, General Manager of Business Development Center-BDC, and BDC’s CLUSTER project manager, Ms. Reem Al-Adwan, participated in the “Regional Workshop for the Mediterranean Countries to Empower Young People in the Light of Climate Change” held in Amman, Jordan, and hosted by the Minister of Agriculture Eng. Khaled Huneifat.

The workshop was organized by the National Agricultural Research Center (NARC) in the framework of the GREENLAND project, and hosted researchers from 12 Mediterranean countries. Its goal was to discuss ways to empower young people in light of climate change in the region, and how to ensure an inclusive, green, digital and sustainable recovery for all, particularly the most vulnerable.

On this occasion, Mr. Hijazi spoke about green entrepreneurship and BDC’s programs that focus on employment, self-employment and job creation targeting the sustainable economy sectors, including the sectors identified by CLUSTER´s: blue, green, circular economy and sustainable agriculture.

Moreover, Ms. Reem Al-Adwan explained how CLUSTER adopts an integrated approach that targets not only young people and women, equipping them with marketable skills, but also employers in the private sector, connecting them with training institutions and other social economy actors. As one of the first capitalization projects designed by ENI CBC MED programme, CLUSTER also engages with public institutions and policy-makers to encourage the implementation of youth/women employment schemes in the  Mediterranean region.