Where Jordanian skilled workers are boosting the economy
A medium-sized business in the East Westphalia region of Germany is meeting its demand for skilled workers with support from GIZ: the plastics processing firm Hadi-Plast is benefiting from apprentices from Jordan.
It is hot in the production hall at Hadi-Plast. Around 42 injection moulding machines are in operation here, with more than 1,300 tools in use simultaneously. The heat melts and liquefies the plastic granulate, which is injected into moulds under high pressure. This is where precision plastic components are produced for the electronics industry, for automotive and bicycle manufacturers, as well as for furniture, fittings and medical applications.
Right in the middle of it all, beside an injection moulding machine, stands Ehab Othman. The young Jordanian is now in the second year of his apprenticeship. He monitors production, fits moulds onto the machines and packs the finished products. ‘The jobs we do are quite varied,’ he says. ‘I enjoy working on the machines.’
Training skilled workers in-house
For Hadi-Plast, finding new talent is a major challenge. The family-run business has specialised in the processing of thermoplastics via injection moulding since 1977. Production runs round the clock in three shifts. Finding skilled workers who are willing to work within this system is becoming increasingly difficult. The same applies to trainees.
‘Germany wants to remain competitive in the field of plastic components. But to do so, it also needs the right young talent.’
The profession of process engineer or plastics technologist is not widely known among young people, says Karsten Anger, Managing Director at Hadi-Plast GmbH. At the same time, demand for plastic components is rising due to growing needs in the electronics industry. ‘Germany wants to remain competitive in this area. But to do so, it also needs the right young talent.’
Anger learned about the Partnerships for Development-Oriented Vocational Training and Labour Migration (PAM) project on a business trip to Jordan and was impressed by the idea. ‘This was an opportunity for us to secure a long-term supply of skilled workers and to train them ourselves,’ he explains.
The Partnerships for Development-Oriented Vocational Training and Labour Migration (PAM) project builds bridges between international young talent and German businesses that are urgently seeking trainees. GIZ implements the programme with partners from ministries and TVET institutions in partner countries on behalf of the German Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development (BMZ). PAM currently operates in Ecuador, Viet Nam and Jordan. The training prepares young people for an apprenticeship in Germany in professions such as baking, industrial mechanics, electronics and machining. The support provided includes intensive courses in German language, intercultural training, technical prequalification, advice on visas and accreditation, coaching with job applications and preparation for job interviews with German companies. The aim is to establish sustainable partnerships between the private sector in Germany and vocational training institutions in the trainees’ home countries. It is an approach from which everyone stands to benefit.
With PAM, Hadi-Plast can now break new ground. The company is in its second year of participation in the project and has already taken on a third trainee from Jordan. All three are training to become plastics technologists. 20,000 people from Jordan had applied to learn a technical trade in Germany. ‘It’s a huge advantage that we can draw on a pool of talent with so much potential. It’s something we no longer have to the same extent here in Germany,’ says Anger.
New career, new country
For Ehab Othman, choosing Germany also meant choosing a new career path. In Jordan, he had studied civil engineering and worked in customer services. Then he heard about the opportunity to prepare for an apprenticeship in Germany through GIZ and how to get in touch with interested companies. ‘I wanted to find a proper apprenticeship in Germany. Without the PAM project, I would never have managed it.’ The project provided support with preparations while he was still in Jordan. Ehab learned German with a group of young people and was given information about vocational training and life in Germany.
GIZ also helped him with his visa application. Ehab Othman has been living in Germany since the second half of 2025. The new surroundings and language were particularly challenging at first. ‘To begin with, everything was new to me. But it got easier with time.’
His vocational college is in Lemgo, about a 45-minute drive from the company’s headquarters in Hövelhof. Lessons take place in blocks: a few months at college alternate with a few months at the company. He is particularly impressed by the dual training system, which combines theory and practice.
Settling into everyday working life
Christopher Heers is Head of Production at Hadi-Plast and is therefore closely involved with the apprentices and their day-to-day work. Ehab has quickly integrated into the team, says Heers. ‘He is very open-minded and eager to learn. If he has any problems, he doesn’t shy away from them but asks explicitly for clarification. He really wants to understand the full context.’
The language, in particular, is one of the biggest challenges. In addition to learning everyday German, there are many technical terms used in the workplace. His colleagues at Hadi-Plast help out whenever something is unclear. They speak more slowly, check whether the Jordanian has understood everything, or step in with English and translation programs when necessary. At some point, as Heers describes it, Ehab was no longer seen as ‘the trainee from Jordan’. He simply became part of the team, was able to set up the tools independently and attended staff parties as a matter of course.
From the first trainee to the third
With its first Jordanian trainee, Hadi-Plast entered uncharted territory – from linguistic and cultural issues right through to organisational matters. The company can now draw on the experience gained during that first year, which also helps the other two Jordanian trainees.
However, the journey is not entirely without challenges. Arranging accommodation and dealing with the various administrative procedures in Germany mean additional work for the company. It is here that Karsten Anger sees a key advantage of the PAM project: the support provided by the GIZ team during the various phases in Jordan was extremely helpful.
‘We believe that this could be part of a long-term strategy for attracting skilled workers and we would recommend PAM to other companies.’
An approach for the future
For Hadi-Plast, training young international talent is not intended to remain a one-off project. ‘We believe that this could be part of a long-term strategy for attracting skilled workers and we would recommend the project to other companies,’ says Managing Director Karsten Anger.
Christopher Heers also sees this as an opportunity to explore different avenues in the face of the skills shortage. He believes that an open-minded approach is crucial on the part of both the company and the trainees. It is about more than just securing skilled workers: ‘The human-centric approach brings enormous added value, because intercultural exchange enables people to find new ways of connecting with one another.’
Ehab Othman already has a clear goal in mind. He wants to complete his apprenticeship successfully, further improve his German language skills and then work in his chosen profession. ‘I’d love to stay here in Germany and work in the profession I’ve chosen.’
His advice to other young people in Jordan who are considering an apprenticeship in Germany is equally clear: ‘It takes a lot of hard work and a lot of patience, but it’s worth it.’
