Syndicates move to police online training courses aimed at Jordan's licensed professionals
last updated: 48m ago
Pages and groups on social media are advertising training courses to members of Jordan's professional syndicates, some of them free, often without disclosing who is behind them or whether any recognised body accredits them. Four syndicates told Al-Ghad the market needs oversight, and one has already ordered such groups shut down.اضافة اعلان
The question running through their responses is the same: where does legitimate training end and unauthorised practice begin, and who is supposed to be watching.
Bar Association: training is a legal process, not an open market
Yahya Abu Aboud, president of the Jordan Bar Association, said training law graduates and granting them the status of trainee lawyer is a mandatory legal stage before they can qualify as fully licensed practitioners.
Training runs from start to finish under the supervision of the association and of the supervising lawyer in whose name the trainee is registered, Abu Aboud explained, with responsibility for developing the trainee's skills resting directly with that supervisor under the Bar Association Law, the training regulations and the rules of the Lawyers Training Institute.
Any interference with that framework amounts to practising law without authorisation, Abu Aboud argued. The institute administers the examinations, tests and interviews, and runs the lectures, courses and mock trials, all of which sit within the association's remit.
Abu Aboud confirmed that he issued a circular days earlier calling for the closure of social media groups offering information, services and courses to lawyers and trainees. Those running the groups are not authorised bodies and have no standing to address trainee lawyers as a group, he said.
Dental Association points to a monitoring vacuum
Aya Al-Asmar, president of the Jordan Dental Association, said the association acts on the advertisements and reports it receives, and that any dentist running a scientific activity without its authorisation breaches the association's bylaws and risks disciplinary action.
With no body responsible for reviewing the content of these courses or checking their scientific validity, the association relies on the Capital Governor to regulate them and stop them where necessary, Al-Asmar explained.
She raised questions about the qualifications of the instructors and the identity of the organisers. Most of the courses the association has been told about issue certificates that Al-Asmar described as fake and unrecognised by any body in Jordan, and the association believes the purpose is unlawful financial gain, she said. Tighter oversight is needed to stop dentists being exploited or sold programmes with no scientific basis.
Engineers: accredit the programme, not the advertisement
Samar Kilani, assistant secretary general of the Jordan Engineers Association for training and qualification affairs and director of the Engineers Academy for Development and Engineering Training, said the syndicate needs a more active role in regulating engineering training offered through social media, where advertised courses vary widely in quality, credibility and accreditation value.
The Professional Qualification and Accreditation System for Engineers No. 37 of 2025 already establishes the association's role in classifying engineers and granting professional accreditation levels against scientific and professional criteria, Kilani noted.
"Regulating the training market doesn't mean preventing individuals or entities from providing knowledge or training," Kilani said. "Rather, it means organising professional recognition of training, protecting engineers, and ensuring that the concept of professional accreditation and the importance of courses for engineers in building their career paths and preparing for the job market are not misused."
She pointed to the Accreditation and Quality Assurance Commission as a model, given its role in licensing providers, accrediting centres and assuring the quality of vocational and technical training programmes.
Kilani proposed clear rules for advertising engineering courses. No provider outside the syndicate should use its name or logo, or claim its accreditation, without documented approval, an agreement or a formal partnership with the Engineers Academy.
Phrases such as "internationally accredited certificate" should appear only when the advertisement names the issuing body and the nature of the accreditation, she added, and listings should state the provider, the trainer's qualifications, the number of training hours, the learning outcomes and the type of certificate.
She also called for a training observatory that would monitor advertisements aimed at engineers in Jordan and flag violations, including false accreditation claims, unauthorised use of the syndicate's logo, unrecognised certificates, instructors presenting themselves as engineers when they are not, and promises of jobs that do not exist.
Such an observatory would guide engineers before they pay fees for any course, Kilani said. Programmes delivered through the academy run to roughly 100 training hours or more, are tied to professional practice, and face stricter technical review, she added.
Trainers are selected through an application supported by qualifications and experience, a review of professional history, scoring against set criteria, interviews and assessment presentations.
Kilani drew a line between the syndicate's authority over the profession and its members, and the authority of government bodies over training providers and commercial advertising.
"There is the Syndicate, which sets engineering professional standards, specialised needs, and points for qualification and professional development for engineers. There is also the Accreditation and Quality Assurance Authority, the Ministry of Labor, and other regulatory bodies. The relationship is one of integration to ensure quality and correct outcomes."
Health sector: accreditation codes and an 80-20 rule
Zuhair Muslim, a member of the Jordan Nurses Syndicate council, linked the issue to the Ministry of Health's amended professional practice regulations, which now require licence renewal every five years against a set number of continuing education hours.
The ministry, through the Higher Health Council, formed the National Committee for Continuing Education Activities, which set rules covering who may run training, what qualifications trainers need, how content is assessed, and the venue and participant numbers, Muslim explained.
Accredited bodies include the Ministry of Health, the Royal Medical Services, the Private Hospitals Association, hospitals approved for residency programmes by the Jordan Medical Council, universities with medical faculties, and university hospitals. Three councils accredit by specialisation: the Jordan Medical Council for physicians, pharmacists and dentists, the Jordanian Nursing Council for nursing and midwifery, and the Higher Health Council for remaining categories.
Accreditation requires submitting the course material, the trainer's qualifications and experience, an assessment of the content, and confirmation of the venue and trainee numbers. Approved programmes receive an accreditation code that allows verification, Muslim said.
Only 20 percent of required hours may be delivered online, with the remaining 80 percent face to face. Unauthorised bodies may not run continuing education for health workers at all, Muslim stressed, and licensed cultural centres may deliver public health awareness but not specialised training for medical staff.
Muslim advised health professionals to check a course's accreditation code before enrolling, and warned that approval from one council does not transfer to others. Nurses should follow activities issued by the Jordanian Nursing Council, he said. The Nurses Syndicate has set up accredited programmes through its centres and branches alongside a free online platform of specialised courses to help members meet licence renewal requirements.
Source: Al-Ghad, reporting by Mohammed Al-Kayyali.
The question running through their responses is the same: where does legitimate training end and unauthorised practice begin, and who is supposed to be watching.
Bar Association: training is a legal process, not an open market
Yahya Abu Aboud, president of the Jordan Bar Association, said training law graduates and granting them the status of trainee lawyer is a mandatory legal stage before they can qualify as fully licensed practitioners.
Training runs from start to finish under the supervision of the association and of the supervising lawyer in whose name the trainee is registered, Abu Aboud explained, with responsibility for developing the trainee's skills resting directly with that supervisor under the Bar Association Law, the training regulations and the rules of the Lawyers Training Institute.
Any interference with that framework amounts to practising law without authorisation, Abu Aboud argued. The institute administers the examinations, tests and interviews, and runs the lectures, courses and mock trials, all of which sit within the association's remit.
Abu Aboud confirmed that he issued a circular days earlier calling for the closure of social media groups offering information, services and courses to lawyers and trainees. Those running the groups are not authorised bodies and have no standing to address trainee lawyers as a group, he said.
Dental Association points to a monitoring vacuum
Aya Al-Asmar, president of the Jordan Dental Association, said the association acts on the advertisements and reports it receives, and that any dentist running a scientific activity without its authorisation breaches the association's bylaws and risks disciplinary action.
With no body responsible for reviewing the content of these courses or checking their scientific validity, the association relies on the Capital Governor to regulate them and stop them where necessary, Al-Asmar explained.
She raised questions about the qualifications of the instructors and the identity of the organisers. Most of the courses the association has been told about issue certificates that Al-Asmar described as fake and unrecognised by any body in Jordan, and the association believes the purpose is unlawful financial gain, she said. Tighter oversight is needed to stop dentists being exploited or sold programmes with no scientific basis.
Engineers: accredit the programme, not the advertisement
Samar Kilani, assistant secretary general of the Jordan Engineers Association for training and qualification affairs and director of the Engineers Academy for Development and Engineering Training, said the syndicate needs a more active role in regulating engineering training offered through social media, where advertised courses vary widely in quality, credibility and accreditation value.
The Professional Qualification and Accreditation System for Engineers No. 37 of 2025 already establishes the association's role in classifying engineers and granting professional accreditation levels against scientific and professional criteria, Kilani noted.
"Regulating the training market doesn't mean preventing individuals or entities from providing knowledge or training," Kilani said. "Rather, it means organising professional recognition of training, protecting engineers, and ensuring that the concept of professional accreditation and the importance of courses for engineers in building their career paths and preparing for the job market are not misused."
She pointed to the Accreditation and Quality Assurance Commission as a model, given its role in licensing providers, accrediting centres and assuring the quality of vocational and technical training programmes.
Kilani proposed clear rules for advertising engineering courses. No provider outside the syndicate should use its name or logo, or claim its accreditation, without documented approval, an agreement or a formal partnership with the Engineers Academy.
Phrases such as "internationally accredited certificate" should appear only when the advertisement names the issuing body and the nature of the accreditation, she added, and listings should state the provider, the trainer's qualifications, the number of training hours, the learning outcomes and the type of certificate.
She also called for a training observatory that would monitor advertisements aimed at engineers in Jordan and flag violations, including false accreditation claims, unauthorised use of the syndicate's logo, unrecognised certificates, instructors presenting themselves as engineers when they are not, and promises of jobs that do not exist.
Such an observatory would guide engineers before they pay fees for any course, Kilani said. Programmes delivered through the academy run to roughly 100 training hours or more, are tied to professional practice, and face stricter technical review, she added.
Trainers are selected through an application supported by qualifications and experience, a review of professional history, scoring against set criteria, interviews and assessment presentations.
Kilani drew a line between the syndicate's authority over the profession and its members, and the authority of government bodies over training providers and commercial advertising.
"There is the Syndicate, which sets engineering professional standards, specialised needs, and points for qualification and professional development for engineers. There is also the Accreditation and Quality Assurance Authority, the Ministry of Labor, and other regulatory bodies. The relationship is one of integration to ensure quality and correct outcomes."
Health sector: accreditation codes and an 80-20 rule
Zuhair Muslim, a member of the Jordan Nurses Syndicate council, linked the issue to the Ministry of Health's amended professional practice regulations, which now require licence renewal every five years against a set number of continuing education hours.
The ministry, through the Higher Health Council, formed the National Committee for Continuing Education Activities, which set rules covering who may run training, what qualifications trainers need, how content is assessed, and the venue and participant numbers, Muslim explained.
Accredited bodies include the Ministry of Health, the Royal Medical Services, the Private Hospitals Association, hospitals approved for residency programmes by the Jordan Medical Council, universities with medical faculties, and university hospitals. Three councils accredit by specialisation: the Jordan Medical Council for physicians, pharmacists and dentists, the Jordanian Nursing Council for nursing and midwifery, and the Higher Health Council for remaining categories.
Accreditation requires submitting the course material, the trainer's qualifications and experience, an assessment of the content, and confirmation of the venue and trainee numbers. Approved programmes receive an accreditation code that allows verification, Muslim said.
Only 20 percent of required hours may be delivered online, with the remaining 80 percent face to face. Unauthorised bodies may not run continuing education for health workers at all, Muslim stressed, and licensed cultural centres may deliver public health awareness but not specialised training for medical staff.
Muslim advised health professionals to check a course's accreditation code before enrolling, and warned that approval from one council does not transfer to others. Nurses should follow activities issued by the Jordanian Nursing Council, he said. The Nurses Syndicate has set up accredited programmes through its centres and branches alongside a free online platform of specialised courses to help members meet licence renewal requirements.
Source: Al-Ghad, reporting by Mohammed Al-Kayyali.