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Ammon News - Al Hussein Technical University (HTU), a Crown Prince Foundation initiative, and the Digital Cooperation Organization (DCO) on Wednesday announced their collaboration on an apprenticeship program to enhance the employability of graduates through study plans established in partnership with industry, and tailored to the needs of the job market.

The DCO, with a focus on digital economy initiatives supporting youth, entrepreneurs and women across the Middle East, Asia and Africa, will work with HTU to tailor its successful education model to other DCO member state countries, whose combined population represents over half a billion people, 70% of them under the age of 35.

HTU will also formalize its commitment to the DCO’s mission by joining as an official observer organization. HTU is the second Jordanian entity after the Information and Communications Technology Association – Jordan (int@j) to join the DCO as an observer.

The partnership signifies a shared commitment to providing opportunities for youth in the digital economy and builds on the DCO’s already growing membership ecosystem comprising pioneering digital organizations across government, the private sector, international organizations, NGOs and civil society with a united goal to create global digital prosperity.

HTU president Ismael Al-Hinti said the university is excited to join the DCO as an observer due to its track record of enabling digital prosperity, adding that the missions of the DCO and HTU are aligned in fostering a new generation of highly qualified digital professionals.

"Connecting our graduates with immediate workplace opportunities is one of our core missions. As we mark the first graduations of HTU apprentices, I am delighted to partner with the DCO on scaling the apprenticeship program, sharing our experiences with our international counterparts to adapt our successful pilot program in other regions of the world," he said.

For her part, DCO Secretary-General Deemah AlYahya said that according to the International Labor Organization, nearly 16% of global graduates are unemployed, adding "we speak a lot about upskilling our workforce, but not enough about shaping the education of students to meet the needs of future employers and ensure that young people share in economic prosperity".

"Our collaboration on this apprenticeship program will maximize the probability of students finding and succeeding at the digital jobs that form the backbone of the global economy. By matching STEM students with potential employer from the get-go, we can ensure that the talent sitting inside our classrooms matches real-time business needs," she said.

Established in 2016, HTU works to provide a world-leading (STEM) based education for young Jordanians in Engineering and Computer science, through a hands-on curriculum informed by industrial needs and local and global challenges. It seeks to enhance the employability of graduates through study plans established in partnership with industry and tailored to the needs of the job market.