Jordan Times
Wednesday, November 10, 2004
VTC records 10% increase in
enrolment
By Mahmoud Al Abed
AMMAN — The Vocational Training Corporation (VTC) has recorded a 10 per cent
increase in the number of students who enrolled in the VTC's 42 training centres
across the Kingdom.
VTC Director General Ziad Matarneh said that at the close of registration this
year, which was extended till Oct. 14, 5,561 students had registered in the
hundreds of programmes offered by the corporation. The central region recorded
the highest percentage of enrolment, at 66.5 per cent, while 17.2 per cent
registered with the VTC's office in the northern region and 16.1 per cent in the
southern region.
Despite the increase in enrolment rates, the VTC centres are running courses
with much fewer students than they can accommodate. Matarneh attributed this to
the fact that only 2.9 per cent of students referred from the Ministry of
Education reported to their respective centres.
By the end of each school year, the ministry distributes 10th grade graduates to
various secondary school branches and specialisations on the basis of their
results and choice. But since secondary education is not compulsory, the student
has the choice regarding enrolment in the branch he/she has been referred to.
Matarneh said his organisation and the ministry will coordinate more in the
future with education officials “to set mechanisms to ensure that all 10th grade
referrals join the VTC,” which offers programmes after a thorough study of the
local and regional labour market needs, with focus on the sectors dominated by
guest labour.
The VTC policy is also based on partnership with the private sector. The general
practice is that businessmen ask the VTC to provide them with workers trained on
skills their businesses need and on many occasions, they offer facilities for
training in the field.
Students who come from Ministry of Education schools join regular training for
two years, also called applied secondary school education. The other category of
trainees is trained on three levels: Limited skill level, skilled worker level
and technician. According to VTC statistics, 77.2 per cent of its students are
being trained to become skilled workers, whereas 11.2 are trained as technicians
and 10.5 per cent as limited skill workers.
“Regular” trainees constitute only 1.1 per cent of the total number of VTC
students.
The VTC's 2004-2007 strategy, Matarneh said, focuses on increasing enrolment
rates at its centres and educating the new generation to accept the concept of
vocational training and to embrace values of work and production.