Khaberni - The Secretary-General of the Ministry of Education for Vocational and Technical Education Affairs, Dr. Mohammad Ghaith, stated that the ministry targets to increase the enrollment rate of students in vocational and technical education to 50% by 2032, confirming that this direction aligns with the priorities of the economic modernization vision and labor market requirements.
This was announced during his sponsorship of the national vocational and technical education forum “BTEC Innovation Summit,” which was organized by the Directorate of Education for the Mafraq Kasbah area today, Thursday.
Ghaith added that vocational programs are of utmost importance to the Ministry of Education, noting that there are 12 vocational specialties, with two new specialties introduced this year, while three more will be added next year, bringing the total to 15 specialties, all aligned with the local market needs.
He explained that the number of students currently in the vocational track is 49,000 students, anticipating an increase in this number in the coming years as part of achieving the targets of the economic modernization vision, indicating that the ministry is working to provide vocational and technical education across different areas of the kingdom through field surveys that determine the desires of students and market needs.
On her part, the Director of Education of Mafraq Kasbah, Iman Al-Khawaldeh, said that today witnessed the convening of the second vocational forum, which is one of the largest specialized forums in this track, explaining that the purpose of it is to familiarize citizens, students, and parents with vocational and technical education pathways.
She added that the forum included the opening of a hotel sector wing belonging to the hospitality department, in a step considered the first of its kind in the directorate, indicating that there are 1,400 students within the vocational and technical track studying in 10 specialties distributed across 9 schools, 5 of which are for males.
In turn, the Director of Mafraq Industrial School, Engineer Khaled Odeh, explained that the school includes specialties in hospitality, hair and beauty, and engineering, pointing out an increase in interest in these specialties, as the number of training divisions has risen over the past two years from 6 divisions to 21 divisions.
The forum included introductory presentations on vocational and technical education specialties (BTEC) available in the Mafraq Kasbah district and its affiliated schools, alongside an exhibition during which students from technical specialties presented models of their innovations and projects.
