Context
Jordan meets its demand for energy in large part by importing energy. The country's energy generation is based almost entirely on fossil fuels, which causes significant CO2 emissions. Jordan is also one of the world's most water-poor countries. Nonetheless, little value has been attached to using water and energy sustainably in the past. There are no standards governing energy-efficient insulation, economical water treatment and efficient heating and air-conditioning technology. New companies in the water and energy efficiency sector, especially small and medium-sized enterprises, are rare. There is also a lack of suitable skilled workers in this sector.
Technical professions and trades and vocational training at community colleges have low prestige in Jordan. While 236,000 students attend public and private universities throughout the country, just 26,000 students are enrolled in community colleges and only 10,000 trainees in the country's training centres geared towards practical vocations. At the same time, Jordan has high unemployment with a rate of more than 70 per cent among people younger than 30. A survey of Jordanian companies in 2009 also revealed that just 10 per cent of employers were pleased with their new hires' hard skills, while just 16 per cent were happy with their soft skills.
Objective
Young people and adults have stronger vocational and entrepreneurial skills in the fields of water and energy efficiency. The training of urgently needed skilled workers is ensured for a long time to come.
Approach
The project is at the interface between vocational training and achieving a sustainable increase in efficiency in the water and energy sector. Training skilled workers in the water and energy sector and supporting measures to start-up businesses help to make water and energy use more efficient. Even though youth unemployment represents a clear barrier to development for Jordan, it also offers opportunities. On the one hand, customised training programmes can quickly and efficiently provide Jordan's water and energy sector with the skilled workers it needs. On the other hand, targeted training for young people can help to reduce the unemployment rate.
The Vocational Training Corporation (VTC) is the key partner in implementation. The project supports VTC in reforming its range of training options and works together with specialised vocational training centres. The objective is to impart technical knowledge and entrepreneurial skills and to formulate uniform training standards. Technical vocations and vocational training at Jordan's community colleges thus achieve greater prestige.
Continuing professional education is geared specifically towards mid-level managers, typically technicians and engineers. Advisory services and exchanges of experiences between Jordanian and German companies and between universities and community colleges provide a significant boost to sustainable training in the field of water and energy efficiency.