Written in 2006 - Recap...
Youth under the age of 30 makes 70% of Jordan’s population, where they are the future of our country and the hot target today! Great Minds are the driving agents of change and innovation, yet, they are the key to a nation’s prosperity. Therefore, His Majesty King Abdullah and Her Majesty Queen Rania are focusing on building a brighter future for our youth through different initiatives and projects. “King Abdullah and the Jordanian government aim to transform Jordan into an innovative model of development. By spearheading educational reform and encouraging investment our dreams can, and will be, realized.” as her Majesty stated.
The Royal Initiatives
If Jordan is well known for a resource, it must be its human resource. Jordan is a youthful country, which allows a great emphasis on investing in its young population to flourish the country’s economy and future. Hence, His Majesty King Abdullah and Her Majesty Queen Rania sat up a vision and a strategy for replenishing youth and formed related initiatives.
For instance, the King’s and Queen’s nationwide initiative to introduce computers and Information Technology into schools across Jordan and to incorporate their use into the educational system, which complements King Abdullah’s IT initiative. Also, Her Majesty Queen Rania Al-Abdullah hosted the first joint annual meeting for the Advisory Council and board of directors of World Links Arab Region (WLAR) – a program which aims to improve educational outcomes, economic opportunities and mutual global understanding for youth in developing countries through the use of technology and the Internet.
One of King Abdullah II's priorities is boosting the benefits of technology into the national educational process. Legislation has already been passed requiring all public schools to offer English from the first grade and computers from the second grade up until their last year in high school. Currently, all secondary schools in Jordan have fully equipped computer labs, and ADSL connectivity has reached over 600 of Jordan's 3000 public schools. A national e-learning strategy has been articulated by the efforts of the Ministry of Education. The strategy is being implemented now.
On a higher educational level, the Ministry of Education will also be developing a learning portal for all Jordanians. Universities are teaming up with IT industry multinationals to provide certification programs for their students. For example, Sun Microsystems has nominated Sumaya University to become the first authorized Academic Sun Education Center in the Middle East. Similar initiatives are underway between various Jordanian universities and Cisco systems, Microsoft, Oracle and HP.
In early 2002, Queen Rania joined the Board of Directors of the International Youth Foundation, based in Baltimore, Maryland, in the United States. She joins a distinguished group of business, government, and civil society leaders from across the globe to support the work of one of the world’s largest public foundations helping young people learn basic life skills and get the education, training, and opportunities they need to succeed.
If we grasp a closer look on the international events taking place in Jordan for the past years, we would notice the involvement of youth in every event. This is achieved through the collaboration of youth NGOs and associations, such as King Abdullah Fund for Development (KAFD), INJAZ and Young Entrepreneurs Association (YEA). For instance, at the World Economic Forum session, held at the Dead Sea, titled “Youth and Entrepreneurship”, where representative youth from the Kingdom were invited, our youth spoke so fluently and intelligently about ideas that were in harmony with His Majesty’s vision. Also, in May 2005 Her Majesty Queen Rania and First Lady Laura Bush met with a group of our youth to discuss educational and technological issues. Yet, upon his visit to Jordan last October, Bill Gates was delighted to meet representative Jordanian youth in a special session entitled “In the Eyes of the Youth”. And on a higher level, His Majesty King Abdullah continuously engage youth in international forums held abroad.
An Observed FACT! …
All of such initiatives and projects contribute to the trend of young managers, who are still in their twenties, young universities instructors, and the increased trend of youth conducting higher studies, where at some points now; a bachelor degree is not good enough for a job in the business sector and apparently not for an academic position. It is being observed that the standards for any placement in the market have risen as the competition between the applying applicants is levitating. This is one of the reasons why a huge number of youth are eager to pursue higher studies to secure a distinguished career path.
The Trend of Young Managers:
Today, and more than ever, Jordan is witnessing a flow of ambitious and young managers in the Jordanian industry. This is justified by the royal vision of developing youth by providing them with NGOs and initiatives to qualify them for the market. Let alone the observed eagerness of today’s youth to work hard and smartly grabbing opportunities. Yet, being exposed internationally; by reading financial and business magazines; such as The Economist, Forbes, surfing the web, interacting with international CEOs by e-forums and attending international conferences is aiding in changing today’s youth to become up-to-date with the market needs and in learning from high ranking international companies experiences. However, reading and learning are not the only tools to make successful managers and executives; on that, Rami Malki, 29 years, Head of Corporate Finance says “Being realistic and keeping grounds is a virtue of successful executives around the globe, a title never made its holder a success story, it is what you deliver and not what you say you do. Also having the soul of an entrepreneur helps.”
Sally Shahin – 28 years is the Quality and Business Development Manager at Manaii Auto Group based in Qatar, formerly the Premium Channel Manager at Abu Khader Service Center, gained her bachelor degree from Jordan University for Science and Technology in “Heavy Equipment Mechanical Engineering”. Apparently, this is not a very favored study for girls. However, she excelled at it perfectly and reached high ranks in her work. “My gender at occasions stood as an obstacle; often I wanted to apply for certain jobs I found interesting, jobs that unfortunately preferred the male gender or restricted the application to it. On the other hand; getting people to believe in you and disregard your gender, age and modest experience at times were among the challenges; ones that were the driving force to reach higher, work harder and seek more knowledge.”
On the other hand, Julian Noursi– 29 years old, Marketing & Special Events Manager at Romero Group, had a total different experience; “Being a female gives me a plus especially in the hospitality and events sector. Although Jordan is a male dominant society, but as I advised earlier, “never victimize yourself” always think that you can do it no matter what your gender is or what the society constraints are. Obstacles are everywhere but I do not believe that it is based on gender”. This shows that our Jordanian youth are hardworking and determined to reach their goal and achieve success, as Sally highlighted “ Success is when really knowing that you gave it your very best and are content with the outcome, aim for perfection and you'll probably land close enough.”
Young University Instructors Boom!
On the contrary to the marketplace, we can’t deny the trend of young university instructors’ boom. This trend is justified by the “internal recruitment” Human Resource Management strategies adopted by several Jordanian universities as Wael Abu Gharbieh- 25 years, an instructor at Yarmouk University cleared out. It is a well known fact that Universities are no more an attractive workplace to youth compared to the tempting offers and higher salaries at the marketplace nowadays; nevertheless, we find some youth in their early 30’s long to join the academic sector despite their high professionalism skills and experience to support their PhD’s.
Out of this fact, Jordanian universities started recruiting their own students who have outstanding and very good records at their early twenties before they are drawn by the spark of the business sector! “Universities were heading to a decline phase, and critically needed fresh youth blood” as Wael stressed out.
Is it a “Yes” or “No” for Young Instructors?
Some people are not encouraging the idea of having a young instructor in his/her twenties educating students of his/her own generation, while others view it as a plus! Ruba Ja’afari- 25 years, an instructor at University of Jordan, emphasizes “Being young with a relatively close age to my students, allowed me to understand how they think during the class discussions.”
Wael elaborates “When it comes to universities in Jordan, things might seem complicated more than they seem. Both professors and students complain always from the gap that exists between the two parties of the academic equation; the students and professors. I explain further, the two parties belong to two different and distinct generations; each has its own set of values. While professors claim that students are irresponsible, students fire back by claiming that professors are conservative. Clearly the two sides speak different languages. However, fulfilling my current position at my early youth years gave me a different perspective, a perspective that enabled me to work as a liaison between the two parties. I simply look to things from the two sides’ perspectives, as I am able to speak both languages.”
However, from a non-academic perspective, Obaida Fares- 28 years, Manager of the Regional office of “Democrats Network in the Arab World”, and the Regional Manager of “Center for the Study of Islam and Democracy” explains: “The moral doesn’t lie behind the age of an instructor, but in the amount of knowledge an instructor has to give. It is very likely for young instructors in their twenties to excel more than older ones. Some young instructors build on their modest experience and knowledge by learning from older experienced people, or through educating themselves more, attending trainings, seminars and reading. Yet, the continuous follow up on the latest advancement of one’s field contributes to the instructor’s acquaintance.”
Jordanian youth capabilities:
Wael believes, as he is in a daily interaction with today’s youth that “Achievements, ambitions, capabilities and abilities, you name it. Jordanian youths got it all, yet, need direction. Taking responsibility of their own lives is what most of university students lack; they think about university life as a phase to enjoy, yet, they miss the fact it is a phase to develop personality, knowledge and skills in order to be able to join the business environment when they do graduate. In short, balance is the key for success; students need to balance between enjoying and working during their university life”. Moreover, due to Ruba’s everyday dealings with University students, she elaborates “Today’s youth are smart, and I do not mean by smart being able to gain high grades only. They have the thirst to learn, and they are willing to try new methods in learning. They have high degree of self confidence that may sometimes reach to vainglory”.
As Her Majesty Queen Rania highlighted during her interview with Oprah Winfrey “You can change the course of a nation through education”. This shows education as a core value in expanding youth capacities. However, sadly some students at their University life disregard the education they are obtaining and deal with it as if a compulsory life task, specially for those who are specializing in a major they didn’t choose and don’t like! They are missing the fact that education is part of personality building formula which in the long term aids in forming a more civilized nation. “I believe that the more the person is educated; the better he/she should be able to communicate with people from different backgrounds and educational levels. Education is never only about degrees, I believe that it should also cultivate the personality” as Ruba stated. However, Rami emphasizes that it is not solely the youth’s responsibility to maintain strong abilities, he says “Today, we have a few capable Jordanian youth, but unfortunately sometimes the lack of sharp and intelligent environments to enhance such capabilities might play a negative role in maintaining and growing such assets.”
Obstacles:
Despite the great accomplishments drawn by our youth at the marketplace and the high ranks achieved, there are some obstacles which stand in some of youth’s way. For some, it is the high requirements of today’s market, while for others it is the lack of will and a strategy to follow, and for a third party it might be a lack of guidance from wise experienced people and a short of self discipline and not discovering one’s self. However, such drawbacks must not be blamed on the marketplace, as it is the person’s task to plan, work hard, discover his own capabilities, and improve one’s skills to reach the high standards of today’s jobs. Yet, the marketplace is bursting with job opportunities, but they are waiting for the right people to clutch them! Sally points out “Opportunities are there to grab for those equipped with the right tools and the Jordanian market growth rate is among the highest in the region, I am not saying it’s easy but it is worth the effort.”
Obaida elaborates on this issue “Jordanian youth are surrounded with plenty of opportunities which allow them to develop their skills and abilities; a new educational system is being introduced at schools and universities, and there are many training openings, where a lot of our Arabic communities lack. The problem lies behind the blindness of our youth to such opportunities, or more specifically, they avoid them as they are unaware of the value such chances contribute for their future.” Yet, Obaida thinks that there is a very crucial aspect which needs to be highlighted; “The main obstacle faced by our youth is their lack of knowledge of the market needs and conditions. In addition to accepting the so- called fact ‘the scarcity of job openings in our market’, yet, some youth are still inside the stereotyping bubble of the necessity to work at the public sector, or only doing routine office work which limits their flexibility and advancement in their career life.”
However, on a personal level, the real obstacles that might be facing our youth today as Wael highlighted “Distraction is one; some people are easily distracted and sucked by the day to day activities, to the extent they forget their vision and the key goal they seek to accomplish; they win battles, but lose the war! Conversely, on a systematic level; “Bureaucracy, hypocrisy and resistance of change are also obstacles which might hold our youth back. Every single change needs a champion of change, and the sole fact about champions of change; ‘things are not easy as they may seem.’” Nonetheless, Rami believes that there is a toll on the youth’s side to recognize how their own perception of things affect their way in dealing with their surroundings, he justifies “They have to realize that every phase in their lives has its own relevant issues, and that they usually see the world through their eyes. Yet, once you enter the market your perspectives towards many issues change, they will learn that flexibility and social intelligence are extremely important.”
Planning:
Ruba has been always a tactful planner; yet, she emphasizes the great efforts our country contributes in fostering opportunities for our youth; “Working according to a plan means working in a scientific and systematic way, and the ability to work in such an organized manner was the leading factor to the position I am fulfilling now. Circumstances played an important role as well. Growing in a country that offers great opportunities for its youth and the superb academic atmosphere surrounding me had their great impact on my progression. Planning future is very important. However, before planning future, it is important to ask yourself about the work you like to do, is it beneficial for my society and for me? How? And why am I learning? Answering these questions will very much simplify planning your future.”
On the other hand, Wael is one of the highly motivated Jordanian youth and had planned his career path long ago he was conducting his undergraduate studies “I am fulfilling the current position as a result of well established career and life plan. I have developed my academic and career life during my junior bachelor degree year, as I knew where I will be during the year 2006, as early as the year 2000.”
According to Rami, our culture plays a role in forming a coherent sense of planning to our youth, he explains: “Long term planning is key to success, maybe our youth are not brought up to plan on the long run because it's not a best practice in our culture, however, making the past our school, being realistic about our present, and planning our future are all keys to success.”
His Majesty’s vision for a better Jordan states; “I believe in my people Jordanians, who built achievements of the past, can and will work for a better future. A future that is based on true capabilities and economic opportunities.” Her Majesty confirms his Majesty’s vision during ‘Youth and Entrepreneurship’ session of the World Economic Forum; "My point is, the most precious aspects of youth are not tied to ages or stages. Preserving them doesn’t mean clinging to the past – it means embracing the future.” Their Majesties’ efforts to improve and develop Jordan’s future lie heavily on its golden resource; youth. If not strategically guided and taken care of, the future of our nation will not flourish; economically, socially and politically. Youth are part of our country’s infrastructure and investment prospects, thus, empowering them will thrive our nation.
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