Amman, Sept. 30 (Petra) -- The project "Strengthening National Institutional Capacities to Implement the Recognition of Prior Learning (RPL) Program in the Technical and Vocational Education and Training (TVET) Sector" concluded Wednesday in Amman. The project was organized by the Jordan River Foundation (JRF) in partnership with the International Labour Organization (ILO) and under the supervision of the Accreditation and Quality Assurance Commission (AQAC).

The project was implemented over two years with support from the Dutch Embassy in Amman, aiming to strengthen the system for recognizing skills and experience individuals acquire through work and non-formal and informal learning and converting them into recognized qualifications in accordance with the National Qualifications Framework (NQF).

The project worked in two integrated phases. The first focused on enhancing the commission's capacity to apply a system that allows individuals to prove and have recognized the skills and experience they acquired through work and non-formal and informal learning in accordance with the NQF, developing its tools, procedures, assessment mechanisms, and certification, along with preparing guides, implementing a national awareness campaign, and building the capacities of 50 assessors and 20 administrators from the commission's staff and relevant entities to enable them to implement RPL procedures.

In its second phase, the project moved to the actual application of the system and testing its effectiveness and suitability in six sectors: agriculture, hospitality and tourism, logistics, construction, beauty, and car maintenance, in the governorates of Amman, Balqa, Mafraq, Aqaba, and Irbid.

As part of developing the system's services, a self-assessment portal for RPL was launched in coordination with the Ministry of Digital Economy and Entrepreneurship and the AQAC to allow applications to be submitted and followed up electronically. The work also included developing application mechanisms and a draft of instructions and relevant legal foundations to support the system's sustainability and future expansion.

More than 850 beneficiaries have so far obtained professional practice certificates after undergoing theoretical and practical assessment, enhancing their chances of proving their competencies and entering the labor market.

AQAC Assistant President Yousef Al-Abdallat stressed that the project represents an important step toward building a national system for recognizing skills and experience acquired from various learning and work pathways, noting that the AQAC looks forward to a fundamental role in developing this system and ensuring the quality of its outputs according to clear standards, enhancing the alignment of skills with labor market needs and supporting individuals' opportunities for training, employment, and decent work.

He noted that developing the RPL system comes within a broader orientation to promote lifelong learning and provide more flexible pathways for recognizing and developing skills and competencies, including micro-credentials, which represent one of the modern tools for documenting acquired skills and competencies, responding to rapid changes in national and global labor market needs, and supporting the national economy.

He pointed out that the next phase will focus on building on the capacities, tools, and mechanisms achieved and moving to application, expansion, and sustainability through continued cooperation between national entities and international partners, contributing to developing the TVET system and academic institutions and enhancing their ability to respond to individuals' and labor market requirements.

For his part, JRF Programs Sector Director Mahmoud Al-Karaki said that, based on the Jordan River Foundation's commitment to supporting the Kingdom's priorities in economic development and community empowerment, the importance of recognizing prior learning as an effective tool for benefiting from the accumulated skills and experience of individuals is affirmed, in line with national priorities and the Economic Modernization Vision. Hence the foundation's role in continuously seeking to unify efforts with various relevant entities to enhance individuals' ability to access sustainable economic opportunities.

The project concluded during a ceremony held in Amman, attended by representatives of the commission, national governmental and civil institutions, partners, and relevant and supporting entities.

//Petra// AF