Last year the Madaba Vocational Training Center (VTC) underwent a major overhaul of its organizational structure, training curriculum and facilities. The revamp came as part of a USAID/Siyaha initiative to upgrade the Vocational Training Corporation – Hotel & Tourism Unit and the Vocational Training Centers (VTCs) in Jordan in order to address the pressing need for skilled labor in the local tourism sector. The Madaba VTC was selected to be a model center in this upgrade process, whereby the new learning model was first implemented and developed in Madaba, and then adopted by other VTC centers nationwide.

Mr. Khamis Abu Judeh, a student from Madaba, is part of the first batch of students to take up studies at the revamped center and talks about his training with gusto. Having finished Tawjihi (the local high school degree) with a focus on hotel studies, Khamis wanted to continue his studies in that field. Although his parents, who saw a good future with hotel training, encouraged his choice, finances were stretched so Khamis had to take care of his education on his own.

When the nearby Madaba center opened it, it was ideal for Khamis as not only could he continue his training, but he could also get paid for it, as the new program developed by USAID/Siyaha paid an allowance of JD50 to trainees each month. The upgrade also entailed reducing the length of the program from two years to six months at the center, plus a further six months working in the industry. Khamis was impressed with the new course, saying, “Everything is available here, good facilities, books and equipment. I even regret doing Tawjihi; I wish I had come here earlier!”

He is now nearing the end of his six-month training period, which he is doing at a 5* hotel in Amman. Stepping out of the kitchen of the hotel restaurant where he is working, wearing a slightly lopsided white chef’s hat, Khamis is exactly where he wants to be. “I’ve always wanted to get into this field. I love cooking and want to become a chef,” he says. “Now I have been given the chance to do that.”