ILO Career Campaign Helps Iraqi Kurdistan Youth Find Decent Work

Activities are taking place at Salahaddin University–Erbil, Erbil Polytechnic University and Duhok Polytechnic University, with approximately 250 participants expected at each institution.

Hundreds of university students and jobseekers in the Kurdistan Region of Iraq are receiving practical help to prepare for employment through a new career guidance and counselling campaign led by the International Labour Organization (ILO) and local partners. The initiative will reach around 750 people across three universities through November, focusing on the skills, information and employment services young people need as they move from education into the labour market.

The campaign brings together departments of labour and social affairs under the Ministry of Labour and Social Affairs (MOLSA), university Career Development Centres (CDCs), the Kurdistan Workers Unions Federation and participating universities. Half-day events held on campuses are designed around real labour market needs, giving final-year students and other jobseekers an opportunity to think more practically about their career choices and understand what employers may expect from them.

Three universities will reach around 750 participants

Activities are taking place at Salahaddin University–Erbil, Erbil Polytechnic University and Duhok Polytechnic University, with approximately 250 participants expected at each institution. Rather than concentrating only on finding vacancies, the campaign provides career guidance and counselling that can help young people understand employment pathways and make better-informed decisions about their next steps.

Bashar Elsemarneh, ILO PROSPECTS Project Manager, described career guidance as an important connection between young people and a world of work that continues to change. Cooperation between universities, government employment services and workers' organisations is intended to make that connection stronger while improving the capacity of institutions that will continue supporting students after the campaign ends.

Young people in the region can face several difficulties when entering employment, including limited familiarity with labour market requirements and insufficient access to professional career counselling. Some also have little knowledge of the employment services already available to them or the legal rights they hold once they enter the workplace.

Jobseekers get access to employment platforms and rights advice

A practical part of the campaign involves helping participants formally register as jobseekers through digital employment platforms operated by departments of labour and social affairs. Registration can connect young people with information about available jobs, vocational training and other employment opportunities, giving them a clearer route into existing public services.

Participants are also learning about fundamental labour rights and decent work principles through the ILO's Work Wise Youth: A Guide to Youth Rights at Work. This part of the programme is intended to make sure young people enter the private sector with a better understanding of both their responsibilities and the protections available under labour and social security legislation.

Nazmi Musa Othman, KRI Representative of the Directorate General of Labour and Social Affairs, said cooperation with MOLSA and the ILO is helping graduating students understand their position as workers and jobseekers. The campaign also introduces them to the Ministry's Jobseekers' Platform, where information about employment, training, vocational programmes and workers' rights can be accessed.

Giving students this information before graduation can be particularly useful because their first employment decisions may shape their skills and career direction for years. Better awareness also helps jobseekers assess opportunities based on working conditions and rights rather than simply whether a vacancy is available.

Partnerships seek stronger routes from university to work

The campaign is being delivered under the ILO's PROSPECTS Partnership, funded by the Kingdom of the Netherlands. The programme has strengthened cooperation between MOLSA, Career Development Centres and universities across the Kurdistan Region as part of efforts to improve youth employability and make the transition from education to work more effective.

The initiative builds on earlier ILO training for Career Development Centre personnel, MOLSA staff, trade unions and employer representatives. Those investments mean the current campaign is also strengthening local institutions that can provide career and employment support beyond individual university events.

Hussein Ahmed Mustafa, Director of the Career Development Centre at Salahaddin University–Erbil, said the university is interested in exploring further projects and partnerships that could create meaningful opportunities for students and graduates.

By connecting career counselling, labour rights education and jobseeker registration in one initiative, the campaign is giving young people practical tools for entering the workforce while helping universities and employment institutions build a more coordinated system of support for future graduates.