Classes aim to boost Iraqi employment

[unhappycamper]

Classes aim to boost Iraqi employment
By James Warden, Stars and Stripes
Mideast edition, Saturday, November 1, 2008

BAGHDAD–— It was a sunny Thursday morning, but Mazin Ismael Ibrahim was staring at a whiteboard in a closet-sized classroom.

That was fine with Ibrahim, though. He was happy to be soaking up all the first aid information the teacher was offering. The middle-aged man once owned a spare parts store and hoped the class would lead to a better job in a clinic. Just under three weeks into the six-month course, Ibrahim could already feel the knowledge sinking in.

"Before, we didn’t know anything — just the small stuff," he said. "Now we are very good.""

Ibrahim was one of 400 students enrolled in an American-run program that kicked off Oct. 10 as a way to boost employment by providing Iraqis the technical skills they need to get a good job. Civil Service Department — Jihad, as the school is called, is one of several projects popping up across Iraq that aim to provide military-aged males with jobs that will help them resist insurgent money.

This particular school originated as a project to absorb "Sons of Iraq" members after the groups disbanded, said Maj. Timothy "T.J." Reed, the civil affairs officer for 1st Brigade Combat Team, 4th Infantry Division. Many American leaders fear that the military-aged men who make up most of the groups would return to the insurgency if they could not find jobs that would support them.


Rest of article at: http://www.stripes.com/article.asp?section=104&article=58536