His Majesty King Abdullah II recently announced
that the government's priority this year would be to focus on combating
unemployment and providing sustainable job opportunities, with the need to
continue developing an environment for vocational training and technical
education, equipping young people with the skills needed to meet the
requirements of the labor market, and changing the culture associated with vocational
jobs.
اضافة اعلان
His Majesty also indicated that the
demand for technical education and vocational training is still below the
desired levels. From this crucial and articulated point in particular, and based
on what we have grown to expect from
His Majesty the King, in terms of his great and continuing interest in higher
and technical education in particular, and his tireless concern with ways to
develop it, I will address the possible advancements that our country needs in
the foundation, structure and philosophy of technical education.
At a time when the developed world has witnessed
a shift toward vocational and technical education, most Arab countries unfortunately
suffer from low demand for this type of education. The percentage of those enrolled on such a pathway, among
the total registered in higher education in the Arab world, ranges between 10
percent and 35 percent. That is, the pyramid is inverted, and thus the labor
market faces a clear inflation in the number of university graduates from
non-vocational academic programs, and suffers from a significant shortage of technicians
and those trained in vocational jobs.
During
successive governments, the need for an advanced system for vocational and
technical education and training has been a topic of discussion, due to its
importance in master plans such as “Jordan Vision 2025” and the National
Employment Strategy. Although progress has been made in this field over the
past years, societal perceptions of this type of education among students and
their families still prevail, as this path is seen as a second-class option for
students.
We live in the era of science and technology, and information
revolution, which dominates people’s minds and lives. Consequently, we see students
gravitate toward what is practical and what can achieve tangible benefits for
them. This discourages students from studying some disciplines they believe will
be of no benefit to them in the labor market.
It is clear that technical education in Jordan has not yet
reached the required level, its steps are still faltering despite the
multiplicity of bodies concerned with this field, and the outputs are still
unable to achieve the goals and ambitions for which these institutions were
established. There is a lack of clarity on the relationship between technical
education and vocational training, and an absence of integration formulas
between them. Likewise, women were not given the opportunity to participate in
technical education and the path was not laid open for them, especially in vocational
occupations that suit their preferences and abilities.
Above all, we need to develop and implement a comprehensive
and integrated strategy to harmonize and keep pace between educational outputs
and the needs of the labor market by choosing programs that follow developments
in the labor market in accordance with the skills of the 21st century and the Fourth
Industrial Revolution. This can be aided by supporting partnerships between the
public and private sectors, avoiding repetition in majors, freezing admission
to saturated and stagnant majors, and establishing advisory councils and
committees in universities in which representatives from the private sector
participate.
Universities need to play a key role in nurturing gifted
students and enhancing their talents in research and innovation through
fruitful partnership programs, offering training on the latest technologies and
artificial intelligence innovations, and benefiting from global experiences.
Due to the importance of this matter, which, once addressed,
will serve to reduce poverty and unemployment, and increase economic growth, it
is necessary to work on developing a practical, non-theoretical strategy to
establish and develop technical education in its correct form, and to benefit
from global experiences in this field.
We are working on a real assessment of
the current technical education situation in universities and community
colleges, so that we can develop plans and curricula to meet market
requirements. All of this requires us to start rehabilitating and training a
highly competent workforce, preparing programs according to international
standards, and developing a plan to increase the percentage of students
admitted to technical specialties in universities by 5 percent annually. It is
also necessary to reduce the number of students admitted to humanities
faculties and to close some stagnant majors.
We must also encourage public and
private universities to develop quality technical education programs, with the
involvement of the private sector and according to its needs. A further step is
to conclude cooperation agreements with the Jordan Industrial Estates Company, to
strengthen the link between universities and the industry sector, and allocate
incentives and grants for outstanding students to join these programs in order
to raise the competency and quality of technical education graduates.
All of the above requires us to
coordinate with the Civil Service Bureau to amend legislation in a way that
guarantees the granting of equitable job privileges to graduates of technical
and vocational education, and to streamline the outputs of higher education
with the needs of the labor market.
Since some of
the existing specializations are not compatible with the labor market, it has become
necessary for graduates to prepare themselves well for the requirements of an
occupation that may differ from their academic studies. This occupation may
make certain demands on them, the most important of which are practical
training, use of technology, and mastery of the English language, as these
conditions have become necessities in order for the graduate to make a smooth
transition to working life.
In this
aspect, as is well known, academic institutions in the industrialized countries
always seek to conclude partnerships and twinning agreements with the private
sector and the industrial manufacturing sector, so that specializations,
especially engineering ones, are offered according to the needs of this active
market. Thus, these disciplines serve as incubators for the industry sector,
meaning that the industrial sector participates in the preparation of study
plans.
The writer is president of Princess Sumaya
University for Technology.
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