Tech Education—Noor Makes the Most of Each Opportunity

When Noor, 26 years old, graduated from university with a Bachelor’s of Science in Software and Informatics Engineering, she knew a lot about the subject of software engineering. But she was missing the hands-on experience and basic business skills that could help her land a job.

Noor is in good company. A 2023 study stated 62.6% of young people in the part of Iraq where she lives listed finding employment as their top economic difficulty. A number of reasons were listed:

Insufficient skills for available jobs—13%
Lack of relevant experience—23%
Lack of proficiency in foreign languages—30%
Uncertainty about job search methods—40%
Insufficient job opportunities—78%

These are all factors addressed at WorkWell.

Noor first came across WorkWell at a job fair at her university. But it was later, when she saw a post on LinkedIn, that she decided to sign up. Noor always likes to learn and is always seeking opportunities—becaused, as she says, there is so much important information to learn, but relatively few opportunities to access that information in Iraq.

She took her first WorkWell course in 2023. Then she took part in our September 2024 Cohort.

Noor told us that she “didn’t expect to learn so much.” In fact, the opposite proved true. She shared that the concepts and skills she learned “changed my thinking completely—upside down.”

She was introduced to skills like clarity in writing, and composing her biography for the first time. She learned techniques for networking with others in her field. In IT, she was introduced to new technologies, and platforms for managing clients–skills she can use now and in the future. The skills she most values learning are basic, but important. They are the kind of skills that will set her apart from the approximately 24,000 higher education graduates that enter the workforce every year, adding to a regional problem of “chronic unemployment.”

There is no shortage of bright young people in Iraq. There is no shortage of hard-working, dedicated young people in Iraq. But there is a lack of opportunity. WorkWell equips young people with the skills they need to make the most of every opportunity.