AMMAN - Labour Minister Ghazi Shbeikat on Monday highlighted the need to ensure human resources meet the needs of local and regional markets, particularly in light of the global financial crisis.
"The ministry has been focusing its efforts over the past few years on reforming the vocational training sector in the Kingdom through introducing proper training programmes in accordance with the needs of the local private sector," Shbeikat said during the inauguration of the 7th Arab Conference on Human Resources and Institutional Development yesterday.
He pointed out that the ministry is partnering with professional associations and labour unions to produce skilled workers through vocational training centres across the Kingdom.
Held under the theme "Smart Management and Human Resource Development", the four-day conference is attended by more than 200 participants from 12 Arab countries to discuss means to develop more competitive regional markets and improve labour skills across the Arab world.
During the opening ceremony yesterday, Joint Efforts Group CEO Marwan Issa said regional cooperation is key to improving qualified human resources and achieving economic development.
Other participants highlighted the importance of investing in human resources and called for pan-Arab cooperation in the field of vocational and professional training.
The conference is organised by the Joint Efforts Group, the Association of Banks in Jordan, the Vocational Training Corporation, the Arab Union of Technical Education, the Arab Club for Human Resources and the Arab Trainers Net.
By Hani Hazaimeh
© Jordan Times 2009
