Khaberni - Nabil Al-Khatib, president of the Jordanian Logistics Union and the National Skills Council for Logistics, emphasized the importance of building a comprehensive national system for skills in the logistics sector, based on a true partnership between the public and private sectors.
Al-Khatib stressed, during the inauguration on Thursday, a verification workshop related to a sector study titled “Identifying the Educational and Training Needs for Male and Female Workers in the Logistics Services Sector in Jordan,” the necessity of linking educational and training outputs with the actual needs of the labor market, which contributes to increasing the efficiency of the workforce and enhancing the competitiveness of the sector.
He pointed out during the workshop, organized by the union and the council at the Amman Chamber of Commerce headquarters, as part of Khaberni project on vocational education and training and higher education targeted at the labor market, funded by the German Agency for International Cooperation (GIZ), that the study represents an update and completion of previous studies carried out in Aqaba in 2023, and a skills gap study for the year 2020 completed in cooperation with the National Center for Human Resource Development.
Al-Khatib, who also holds the position of First Vice President of the chamber, noted that these efforts provide an accurate database to guide the policies of ongoing training and education, aiming at a competitive, innovative, and highly organized logistics sector, capable of generating employment opportunities that match supply and demand in the labor market.
He explained during the workshop, attended by the First Vice President of the National Skills Council for Logistics, Jamal Al-Rafaie, that the union and council achieved during the past five years qualitative accomplishments in training and qualification areas, employment-ending training, on-the-job training, and recognition of prior learning, which contributed in establishing their role as an employment center and platform for the logistics services sector.
Al-Khatib highlighted the completion of the preparation and accreditation of the international FIATA diploma curriculum for freight forwarding, supported by a group of specialized trainers, and the launch of the first program last July of the current year, considering it as the first comprehensive national program qualifying workers in the fields of freight, logistics, international trade, insurance, multimodal transport, safety, and sustainability, which enhances employment opportunities, alongside signing a memorandum of understanding with the Ministry of Labor to train and employ a number of trainees supported by the ministry's fund.
On his part, Abdallah Al-Jabour, Secretary-General of the National Skills Council and head of the study preparation team, reviewed the development journey of the sector since the issuance of the Freight Transport Law in 2006, the establishment of the union in 2007, leading to the launch of the National Council for Skills Development in 2018, and the implementation of hundreds of training programs that benefited thousands of trainees, and acquiring national accreditations specialized in maritime and logistics management fields.
He mentioned the implementation of several training and employment projects in cooperation with international partners, and participating in skills gap studies, the most recent being the Aqaba study in 2023, leading to the accreditation of the FIATA diploma in November 2024, and the launch of the first batch in June 2025, to be graduated at the beginning of 2026, in addition to currently working on developing interactive online platforms for the union, the training institute, and the council.
The preparer of the study from the German University, Dr. Ismail Abu Sheikha, presented the main results of the study, which focused on identifying the basic skills required in the Jordanian logistics services sector, monitoring the existing skills gaps, analyzing training system challenges, in addition to evaluating the level of participation of less fortunate groups in the sector.
The study included a series of recommendations, notably the establishment of a national logistic competencies framework that defines the skills required for each job level, unifying training accreditation under a national umbrella through the establishment of a national center for professional logistics training, and adopting short, internationally accredited training units to support continuous learning.
It recommended providing financial support to trainees through grants and incentive incentives, developing inclusive policies to enhance the participation of women and persons with disabilities, using digital training and regional branches to address the geographical gap, and improving the integration between theoretical education and practical training to bridge the gap between knowledge and application.
The workshop program included a promotional video about the “FIATA” program for freight forwarders, and its role in developing the professional competencies of workers in the sector, in addition to interactive discussion sessions to review the results and provide technical feedback.
The organizers expressed their appreciation for the support provided by the Ministry of Labor, the Accreditation and Quality Assurance Authority, the German Agency for International Cooperation (GIZ), and the International Labor Organization, confirming the importance of continuing the partnership to achieve the desired goals and enhance the competitiveness of the logistics services sector on national and regional levels.
