Talal Abu-Ghazaleh Knowledge Forum Hosts Panel Discussion on Workforce Challenges in Jordan

Talal Abu-Ghazaleh Knowledge Forum (TAG-KF) held a specialized panel discussion in collaboration with the Wilson Center for Studies and Research, titled  'Challenges facing workforce development in Jordan'.

Some local and national institutions, in addition to international organizations interested in developing the workforce in Jordan and a number of key stakeholders in the sector, participated In the discussion session.

Mr. Fadi Daoud, Executive Director of TAG-KF welcomed the Wilson Center research team, who came from Washington DC, and expressed his gratitude for their collaboration with TAG-KF in hosting such a discussion to address this important topic.

Daoud stressed the importance of conducting research about the challenges facing the Jordanian workforce, which is considered to be a hindrance towards economic growth and contributes to the high unemployment rate amongst Jordanian youth.

He also expressed his appreciation for the participation of well -informed local and international institutions, who are fully aware of the key challenges facing Jordanian youth due to their daily experiences and field work.

The panel discussion comes as a part of the Middle East and North Africa Workforce Development Initiative (MENA-WDI), led by the Wilson Center which is currently conducting  field research in Jordan with the aim of assessing challenges and opportunities facing workforce development in the MENA region, with a special focus on Jordan.

The MENA-WDI program is expected to submit its report in the third quarter of 2019 with executable recommendations to governments, private and education sectors on how to deal with workforce challenges.

The session was attended by CEO of Crown Prince Foundation, Dr. Tamam Mango, Director of the Center for Women’s Studies at the University of Jordan Dr. Abeer Dababneh, General Director and Treasurer of Princess Taghrid Institute for Development & Training, Dr. Aghadeer Jweihan,  CEO of Education for Employment Ms. Ghadeer Khuffash, in addition to the Founder, President and CEO of Business Development Center, Mr. Nayef Stetieh, Representative of Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ) Ms. Nour Al Mughrabi, and General Director of Vocational Training Corporation, Eng. Hani Khleifat.

Moreover, Ms. Merissa Khurma, project manager of the Middle East Special Initiatives, Mr. Kent Hughes, chief economists and Mr. Alexander Farley, program associate attended the session as members of the Wilson Center’s research team.

During the session, Khurma extended gratitude to TAG-KF for their partnership with the Center, and for hosting the panel discussion attended by key players in the sector which will enrich the research process conducted by the Center in Jordan.

Meanwhile, she affirmed that the final report will be shared by the relevant entities and stakeholders by the end of this year to be submitted to the concerned authorities.

It is worth mentioning that TAG-KF was selected to host this event due to its prominent standing as a professional and unbiased discussion platform that supports economic and social policies conducted by the Forum’s research committees with the objective of enhancing official and national initiatives as well as global and local research projects.

The Wilson Center, chartered by the US Congress in 1968 as the official memorial to President Woodrow Wilson, is the USA’s key non-partisan policy forum for tackling global issues through independent research and open dialogue to inform actionable ideas for the policy community.