UNESCO, Korea launch second vocational training project

AMMAN — The UNESCO Amman office and the Republic of Korea on Monday launched a new project, aimed at providing technical and vocational education and training opportunities for Jordanian and Syrian youth, a UNESCO statement said. 

Funded by the Korean government and implemented by Al Quds College, the project targets a total of 250 Jordanian and Syrian youth who will participate in the BTEC Level 2 Diploma programme. 

The internationally accredited diploma programmes span six different specialties, with course work lasting seven months and one month of practical, on-the-job training, the statement read, adding that participants will also benefit from courses in English language, life skills, computer literacy and study skills. 

As the leading UN organisation for education, UNESCO’s support of essential work and life skills is grounded in the organisation’s lifelong perspective of learning, which seeks to ensure equal opportunities for all, the statement read, stressing that over 50 per cent of beneficiary students are female. 

Ambassador of Korea Lee Bom-yon thanked UNESCO and Al Quds College and congratulated current trainees for their ongoing efforts. 

“On behalf of the Korean government, I am glad that Korea is able to give its assistance and support to UNESCO in providing mid and long-term development assistance to Jordanian and Syrian youth, particularly for post-secondary education,” he told the crowd. 

For her part, UNESCO Representative to Jordan Costanza Farina, said: “Quality TVET programmes like this one have been developed to counter common challenges faced by many countries in the Arab States: increasing youth unemployment levels, poor linkages between education and training and industry, and a shortage of entrepreneurial youth who are sufficiently equipped to create their own jobs.” 

Dean of Al Quds College Ayman Maqableh voiced his happiness to participate in the launching event, praising the “second consecutive cooperation between Al Quds College and UNESCO with funds from Korea”. 

“In the field of TVET for Syrian and Jordanian youth, we are greatly proud to be among the first to respond to the Syrian crises and have worked to achieve the goals of the Jordan Response Plan,” he continued. 

Representing the Ministry of Labour, Director of Employment Strategies of the E-TVET Council, Tarek Al Rashdan, commended Jordan’s efforts to alleviate the challenges stemming from the Syria crisis, according to the statement. 

Three students currently benefitting from the training programme expressed their gratitude to the Korean government, UNESCO and Al Quds College, before sharing their experiences and expressing the value of their scholarships. 

Mohammad Zaher, a Syrian studying engineering and electronics through the programme, said: “The scholarship has shifted my thinking about the future, widening prospects and job opportunities both inside and outside Jordan”. 

The event marked the beginning of the second round of students engaged in TVET training after over 200 students graduated from a similar training in November 2017. Of those students, nearly 70 per cent were Syrians while 56 per cent of graduates were female, the statement concluded.