>> iMOVE-Ghorfa Conference: Building a German-Arab Partnership in Skills Development
On December 2nd and 3rd, 2008, iMOVE, together with cooperation partners Ghorfa German-Arab Chamber of Commerce and Jordan Chamber of Commerce, hosted the conference: “Building a German-Arab Partnership in Skills Development“ in Amman, Jordan’s capital city.
The tremendous response to the conference from both Arab and German sides, confirmed the immense importance of this subject matter in the entire Near East.
More than 20 German education providers, as well as private and public education sector representatives from Egypt, Iraq, Jordan, Lebanon, Palestine and Syria, attended the conference.
>> Vocational training: The topic of the future in the Near East
Vocational training is becoming more and more important in the Near East. Top priority is given to the collaboration of German and Arab institutions and companies actively involved in vocational training. This was confirmed by the response to the conference: "Building a German-Arab Partnership in Skills Development" from both the Arab and German sides.
About 200 participants from Germany and the Arab world congregated to discuss vocational training and continuing education.
The Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan’s Minister of Labor, His Excellency Basem Khalil Al Salem, opened the event. His Excellency Dr. Joachim Heidorn, the German Ambassador to Jordan stressed the significance of vocational training as well. He also hosted the reception on the first evening of the conference, which gave participants an opportunity to engage in an intensive exchange of ideas. In her speech, Sabine Gummersbach-Majoroh, Head of iMOVE, thanked the representatives of over twenty education providers for their tremendous interest and support.
In his opening speech, Ghorfa-General Secretary Abdulaziz Al-Mikhlafi, stressed the necessity of an education offensive in the Arab world. About 22 per cent of the Arab population is between 15 to 24 years of age; employment needs to be found for these young people. At the same time, the demand for skilled workers is very high, based on the diversification and modernization of the Arab national economy.
A high degree of qualification is required. Thus, vocational training and continuing education takes on strategic significance. As German vocational training and university education enjoys a good reputation, it seems obvious to “expand the traditionally sound German-Arab cooperation to include the education sector“.
The transnational conference gave the German providers of vocational training and continuing education an excellent opportunity to present their own companies in the region. Both private and public education representatives from Egypt, Iraq, Jordan, Lebanon, Palestine and Syria were present. They reported on their existing demand for vocational training and continuing education. Then the German suppliers from this sector had the opportunity to introduce themselves.
>> Intensification of the German-Arab Dialogue
It is important to emphasize that not only did this event provide an excellent platform for a German-Arab exchange, but it also provided the opportunity for an intensive Arab-German dialogue with respect to vocational training and the beginning of reform.
The tremendous need for discussion became very clear during the panel discussion on finance, in which specific focus was placed on the education components in the case of Public Private Partnership Projects and private support and initiatives for vocational training.
The discussion pertaining to co-operations, during which successful existing German-Arab models were presented, also indicated a need for further discussion.
The two-day conference came to a close on the 3rd of December with a match-making event.
However, these initial discussions and contacts should be intensified in the future. Another opportunity to do just that, will be the 1st German-Arab Education Forum, which will take place on the 6th and 7th of May 2009 in Berlin. Once again, the hosts will be iMOVE and Ghorfa.
