Kurdistan vocational training programs have reached about 50,000 people since 2003, study finds

SULAYMANIYAH, Iraq — A field study prepared by the Ruya Strategic Studies Foundation found that roughly 50,000 people have received training through vocational education directorates under the Kurdistan Region's Ministry of Labor and Social Affairs since 2003, according to a workshop presentation in Sulaymaniyah on Wednesday. The research, completed last year, examined the performance of the directorates and the programs they run. Fields covered include driving instruction, barbering, mobile phone repair, electronics servicing and artificial intelligence technologies. Behrouz Faridon, the foundation's media coordinator in Kurdistan, said the study aimed to evaluate both the directorates and their training programs comprehensively. He added that the courses are designed to strengthen participants' vocational skills and prepare them for the labor market. Workshop participants also discussed the importance of equipping young people and the unemployed with skills in fields demanded by the private sector, as public-sector employment opportunities narrow.