Tafileh (April 26) – The city of Tafileh, with the support of USAID, today opened its first vocational training institute (VTI) for hospitality and tourism. The institute will prepare Tafileh’s youth with the career skills to meet the anticipated industry growth and development.  According to the Jordanian Tourism Strategy, 25,000 trained employees will be required to accommodate the industry’s growth nationwide over the next four years.

The center is the 14th hospitality and tourism training institute opened in Jordan by the Vocational Training Corporation. The institute will be able to train 60 students per semester to help them qualify for jobs in tourism

“Since the 2006 revitalization of Jordan’s vocational training system for hospitality and tourism, more than 10,000 youth, and more importantly, students from less privileged parts of Jordan have been encouraged to enroll in these programs,” said U.S. Ambassador Alice G. Wells

USAID provided the technical and financial assistance to refurbish the institute’s facilities and supports a number of initiatives to prepare Jordanians to enter the tourism workforce.

“The opening of this workshop reflects part of our joint work in the tourism sector with our partner USAID. This is a chain of work that starts with creating a center of excellence and specialized centers for tourism, in cooperation with the private sector, to increase the employability of male and female youth,” said H. E. Mr. Majed Habashneh, Director General, VTC.

USAID worked in partnership with the Ministry of Labor, Ministry of Tourism and Antiquities, Vocational Training Corporation (VTC), and Employment, Technical and Vocational Education Training (E-TVET) Fund to modernize the VTC’s Tafileh Hospitality and Tourism Institute.