Amman- 1 June 2022
The German Jordanian University (GJU) celebrated the inauguration of the new Deanship of Innovation, Technology Transfer and Entrepreneurship (DI-TECH) and the Orange Digital Center Club (ODCC)), in partnership with the German Development Cooperation (GIZ), aiming to develop and improve the youth digital skills to enhance their employability.
On behalf of the Minister of Digital Economy and Entrepreneurship, the Secretary-General of the Ministry, Samira Al- Zoubi, patronized the inauguration in the presence of German Ambassador in Amman Bernhard Kampmann, GIZ Country Director, Mrs. Elisabeth Girrbach, CEO of Orange -Jordan, Thierry Marigny, and former GJU Presidents Prof. Labib Al-Kadra, Prof. Natheer Abu Obeid and Prof. Manar Fayyad. Startups and Entrepreneurs also attended the ceremony.
The President of the GJU, Prof. Ala'aldeen Al-Halhouli, explained that DI-TECH is the first Deanship of its kind in Jordan with its unique combination of tackling the topics of Employment, Industrial Relations, and Innovation in one entity. The reason why we designed DI-TECH in this way is that we believe that these fields are interlinked.
Dr. Al-Halhouli added that the better the University is connected to industry, the more relevant our study content will be, which will surely increase the employability of our graduates. However, just telling students to look for jobs at established companies is not enough, adding that youth unemployment rates in Jordan are skyrocketing- almost one-third of our youth are unemployed.
Mr. Marigny expressed his excitement with the inauguration of the Orange Digital Center Club at the German Jordanian University as an integral part of the company’s efforts to enhance digital inclusion and empower more university students across the Kingdom through the free digital programs.
He added that Orange supports youth by developing their skills to increase their employability and ability to launch projects to contribute to sustainable development, as part of the company's corporate social responsibility and role as a responsible digital leader, highlighting the continuation of its digital programs in governorates with (GIZ).
Both Kampmann and Girrbach gave speeches in which they expressed the importance of this step, appreciating the efforts and collaboration at many levels to improve the skills of young people to increase their chances in the labor market and support them in establishing their projects.
On the other hand, the Dean of DIE-TECH, Dr. Nidal Al-Shawawreh, and the Dean Assistant, Britta Kähler, presented an overview of the establishment and development of the industrial links at the university. They explained that all programs, initiatives, activities, and measures to foster innovation, applied education, and industrial partnerships became now a new consolidated home under the umbrella of GJU's Deanship of Innovation, Technology Transfer and Entrepreneurship (DI-TECH), a unique formation in the Jordanian educational ecosystem and the German Year internship responsibility was transferred to the International Affairs Department.
On the sidelines of the ceremony, an exhibition for GJU graduates was held as part of the inauguration activities to present their start-ups and business, share their experience and stories with the students. Furthermore, a panel session was conducted on “Employability and Entrepreneurship of Jordanian Graduates: Status, Challenges, and Opportunities” with the participation of Mr. Oliver Gebert, Rockware Company, Munich, Dr. Iyad Abu Haltam, Amman Chamber of Industry, Dr. Abdelrahman Zuraik, Advisor to the GJU President for Innovation and Entrepreneurship, Mr. Raed Madanat, Ministry of Digital Economy and Entrepreneurship, and Mr. Ghaleb Hijazi, Chairman of Business Development Center. Dr. Ziad Abuelrub, GJU, moderated the Session.
