The first programme (EUR 15 million), will help Jordan to enhance youth employment by equipping TVET graduates with the skills and competences required for the county’s economic modernisation, thus fostering their competitiveness in the labour market while addressing the skills mismatch identified by the private sector. The support package also includes a scholarship program targeting the most vulnerable segments of the population, to allow underprivileged students to pursue technical and vocational education as a contribution to the “Labour Market Oriented Vocational Education, Higher Education and Training (MOVE-HET)” programme, co-financed by the German Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development (BMZ)​​​​​​​.

The second programme (EUR 10 million) will help Jordan to rehabilitate two major archaeological sites i.e. Quwaylebah (Abila) and Mekawer/ Machaerus. In doing so, the EU will work with the Italian Agency for Development and Cooperation (AICS) and civil society organizations in an effort to also involve local communities for a sustainable development of the tourism sector.

H.E. Minister Touqan said the EU is one of Jordan’s development partners to support the development and reform priorities in the Kingdom, discussing the progress of work and achievement in the modernisation and reform efforts that Jordan is moving forward with.

Mr. Gert-Jan Koopman, Director-General for Neighborhood and Enlargement Negotiations stated: “Through those two new programmes, the EU reaffirms its unwavering commitment to supporting Jordan’s economic and social development. We will continue to support Jordan in developing the skills of its youth while preserving its great heritage and making full use of the potential of its tourism industry.”

The Director-General also referred to EU’s long-standing partnership in support of the TVET sector in Jordan, complementing a broader ongoing EU education portfolio of EUR 165 million in the country ranging from strategic support to the Ministry of Education to provision of scholarship opportunities for Jordanian and Syrian beneficiaries.