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TAM Report / Jordan - Employability

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Petya Mitova • 3 November 2025
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GENERAL INFORMATION

TAM title: Employability for Graduates of the Higher Education Institutions

Type of Event: Webinar (online) and Seminar

Modality: 29 February 2024 – online; 5 – 6 March 2024 - presential

Location: German Jordanian University and Al-Hussein Technical University, Amman

Country: Jordan

Dates: 29 February 2024; 4 – 6 March 2024 

Participants:  The workshops brought together 121 participants—67 virtual and 54 in person—from 25 different organizations, including ministries, higher education institutions (HEIs), and NGOs. Notably, 44 participants represented 20 HEIs, comprising 10 public universities, 9 private universities, and 1 university college. Female participation was significant, making up 57% of all attendees. In addition to the academic institutions, representatives also joined from the Ministry of Labour and three NGOs working in the fields of education and employment.

               

THEMES COVERED

  • Roles and responsibilities of IROs, Alumni Offices, Deanships of student affairs, and Career counseling offices in enhancing graduate employability

  • Challenges facing the labor market from an employer’s perspective

  • Current trends in graduate employability and best practices in Europe

  • Strategies for providing effective employability services to students

  • Skills needed by employers for enhancing graduate employability

  • Enhancing employability in Jordanian HEIs using EU expertise in the local context

 

KEY OUTCOMES

During the workshop participants:

  • Enhanced their awareness about the concept of employability, its dimensions, the key concepts around employability, the different views on employability.
  • Learned about the drivers of employability, the linkages between learning outcomes and employability and the current trends in graduates’ employability.

  • Emphasized the importance of focusing on soft skills, mindset, and psychometric assessments to prepare students for the dynamic demands of the future labour market. 

     

OVERVIEW

The three-day activity on graduate employability in Jordan provided an in-depth examination of labor market challenges and the role of higher education institutions (HEIs) in addressing them. The virtual session on the first day introduced participants to the structure of Jordan’s higher education system, the importance of career counseling, and employer insights, alongside a presentation on European best practices. The in-person sessions focused on practical strategies for improving employability services, including group work to identify key challenges and propose recommendations for HEIs. A central takeaway was the importance of looking beyond academic qualifications to factors like soft skills, attitudes, and psychometric readiness when preparing students for the workforce. 

Participants emphasized the value of holistic, collaborative approaches that align education with labor market trends. Recommendations included faculty training, securing financial resources, integrating practical experience into curricula, and building partnerships across educational institutions. The activity also stressed the need for long-term planning and stakeholder coordination. Feedback was overwhelmingly positive, with participants praising the relevance of the sessions, the clarity on Erasmus+ objectives, and the usefulness of expert insights. The event was seen as highly effective in advancing strategies to improve graduate readiness and setting the stage for further development in employability-focused initiatives.

 

THE FOLLOW UP ACTIVIT

Title of the activity: Presentation of guidelines on how to enhance graduates’ employability

Dates: 23 April 2024

Audience: Around 200 people attended coming from 16 countries, in addition to Jordan, namely Bahrain, Brunei Darussalam, Egypt, El Salvador, Georgia, Germany, Greece, Iraq, Jordan, Morocco, Slovakia, Spain, Syria, Tunisia, Turkiye, United Kingdom. The attendees represented 33 universities and 14 governmental organizations and NGOs including the Ministry of Higher Education of Jordan, the EU Delegation in Jordan, the DAAD Regional Office, the French Embassy in Jordan and the Fulbright Commission in Jordan.

Description: Experts and participants of the TAM emphasized the need to raise awareness about graduate employability among university leadership. In response, the National Erasmus+ Office developed and presented a set of guidelines during the International Week at Yarmouk University on 23 April 2024, targeting top HEI management and stakeholders. The event facilitated the dissemination of key messages, the exchange of best practices, and the promotion of collaborative networks to address employability challenges. It also sparked broader academic and public dialogue, encouraging innovative approaches and shared solutions across institutions.

 

ENHANCING IMPACT: PROPOSED NEXT STEPS

  • Train faculty members, decision-makers, and administrative staff to integrate employability strategies and best practices into academic environments.

  • Embed practical courses, soft skills development, and real-world experiences into students’ study plans to improve readiness for the labor market.

  • Promote exchange visits and collaborations with successful universities and international programs (e.g., Erasmus) to gain diverse perspectives and share effective models.

  • Treat employability as a strategic priority across all higher education institutions, supported by coherent policies, institutional frameworks, and aligned education plans.

  • Provide targeted financial support and create enabling environments that facilitate employability-related initiatives, particularly in public institutions.

  • Enhance continuous communication, follow-up, and coordination between HEIs, employers, government, and students to ensure coherent and responsive efforts.

  • Regularly assess labor market developments and tailor academic offerings and training to meet evolving demands and skills gaps.

 

RESOURCES AND BACKGROUND MATERIAL

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