Partnership Between Damascus Chamber of Industry and NRC to Train Syrian Workforce and Launch Adra Training Center

 

Amid the industrial recovery process and the challenges posed by the shortage of skilled labor, the Chairman of the Damascus and Its Countryside Chamber of Industry, Eng. Mohammad Ayman Al-Mawlawi, met with a delegation from the Norwegian Refugee Council (NRC), headed by Board Chair Kristin Skogen Lund. The meeting aimed to map out the future of the Syrian workforce, moving beyond traditional relief efforts toward building dedicated centers for training and qualification to address the shortage of trained personnel.

 

During the meeting, Kristin Lund emphasized that the delegation's visit—representing the highest decision-making body in the organization—reflects a deep commitment to supporting the Syrian people. She explained that the Council's efforts extend beyond providing basic humanitarian assistance to building strategic partnerships with the private sector and local community institutions, praising the ongoing partnership with the Damascus and Its Countryside Chamber of Industry. She further noted that the primary goal of this field visit is to gain direct insight into the projects, industries requiring labor, and existing partnerships on the ground, as well as to hear the Chamber's vision and assessment of joint cooperation to enhance operational tools and draw lessons that ensure continued support in the most critical sectors.

 

Eng. Mohammad Ayman Al-Mawlawi affirmed that the industrial sector is undergoing a period of recovery and rapid growth, creating an urgent and doubled demand for trained workers. Highlighting vocational education and training, Al-Mawlawi pointed to the major challenges graduates face in acquiring practical hands-on experience. He stressed that theoretical training programs alone are no longer sufficient to meet the accelerating demands of the labor market, proposing a practical solution: establishing specialized technical and vocational institutes directly inside industrial cities and complexes to enable students to immediately integrate theoretical curricula with actual practical application on production lines and inside factories.

 

In turn, members of the Chamber's Board of Directors highlighted that the Chamber is working to launch a 1,700-square-meter training center in Adra Industrial City. The center will offer vocational and technical courses in HVAC (air conditioning and refrigeration), programmable logic control (PLC), solar energy, welding, occupational health and safety, along with equipping a computer lab. The Chamber is currently stepping up efforts to attract funding and support from new organizations to ensure the expansion and sustainability of the center's services.

 

Completing this integrated ecosystem, the attendees presented to the delegation that the Chamber has launched a new electronic recruitment platform. The platform aims to directly connect business owners and industrialists seeking qualified talent with graduates and job seekers, ensuring the effective and rapid integration of skilled personnel into the labor market

 

7/9/2026