Germany grants 20m euros to fund vocational training in Kingdom

AMMAN — The Ministry of Planning and International Cooperation and the German Development Bank (KfW) on Sunday signed a grant agreement worth 20 million euros to finance the first phase of a programme designated to promote technical and vocational education and training in Jordan.

The agreement, signed by Minister of Planning and International Cooperation Wissam Rabadi, KfW Amman Office Director Christian Schaub and Al Hussein Technical University (HTU) President Labib Khadra in the presence of Crown Prince Foundation CEO Tamam Mango and German Ambassador to Amman Birgitta Siefker-Eberle, includes funding to build, equip and furnish a college for technical training at the Amman-based HTU.

Additionally, two of the Vocational Training Corporation's vocational centres in the northern governorate of Irbid will be managed by HTU to improve the corporation's programmes through the comprehensive rehabilitation of the centres' infrastructure and the provision of needed equipment.

The project, to be executed and managed by the HTU, aims at developing high-quality, professionally accredited vocational education and training programmes aligned with the needs of the labour market, according to a ministry statement carried by the Jordan News Agency, Petra.

After ensuring the success of the first phase, the programme will cover more vocational training institutes across the Kingdom, the statement added.

Rabadi voiced the Kingdom's appreciation to Germany for its continuous support to Jordan's vital sectors, including the water, sanitation and education sectors.

Lauding the additional support to crucial sectors in the Kingdom, Rabadi said that Germany is one of Jordan's "most important partners" in the development and reform process. 

For her part, Siefker-Eberle stressed the "deep-rooted" relations between the two countries, expressing her country's readiness to continue supporting Jordan, mainly in priority sectors.