Value of vocational education ‘underestimated’ in Arab world

Vocational education will be critical to building advanced economies in the Arab World, and needs to become a priority for regional governments looking to create high performance, global workforces, said Ramiz Haddadin, Pearson’s senior business development manager in the Middle East, who represented Pearson at the 7th Arab Human Resources Management and Training Conference held in Amman early this week under the auspices of Jordan’s Minister of Public Sector Development Dr Khlaif Al Khawaldeh.Haddadin noted that the value of vocational education has been traditionally overlooked by Arab students and their parents.
“Vocational training has often been seen as a lesser alternative to an academic education. Many people believe that vocational courses will lead to jobs that have lower wages and poorer conditions than their academic counterparts. Traditionally, a vocational qualification will not be considered as prestigious as a qualification from a university. However, this is actually no longer the case, as vocational qualifications are now recognized by prestigious international employers and learning institutions, and can lead to increasingly well paid positions with excellent prospects for career advancement.”
Employers in the Arab world have also called for more vocationally trained graduates, as the region faces a skills crisis in many industries, including the engineering, construction and hospitality sectors of the economy. Read more...