EBRD and SECO increase skills in Jordan’s energy sector

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  EBRD and Al Hussein University of Technology are developing an apprenticeship program at the Jordanian National Electric Power Company
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  Skills-upgrading program for women and youth in Jordan
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  SECO-funded program to improve career opportunities in the energy sector

The European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD) promotes an inclusive energy sector in Jordan by creating an apprenticeship program for young specialists aspiring to a career in the energy sector.

Funded by Swiss Secretariat of State for Economic Affairs (SECO), with which the EBRD cooperated Al Hussein University of Technology (HTU) AND National Electric Power Company (NEPCO) Electrical Training Center (ETC) to develop the program.

The apprenticeship offers young people on-the-job training to help them transition from education to employment, and is delivered to students within HTU’s Electrical and Energy Engineering courses.

The first 32 students have already completed the eight-month internship, which focuses on power systems and includes three months of technical training and five months of NEPCO field rotations.

The EBRD had already supported NEPCO in 2021 with a $100 million financing package to help the company address working capital constraints by replacing short-term debt financing raised at the height of the Covid-19 crisis.

This partnership is part of the EBRD’s Country Strategy for Jordan 2020-25, whose first priority is to promote economic inclusion, including through improved vocational training for women and youth. The apprenticeship program also implements the EBRD’s Memorandum of Understanding with the university signed in 2022, which focuses on promoting access to skills in the science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) sectors.

A power systems internship closing event was held with the participation of Gretchen Biery, EBRD Director for the Eastern Mediterranean, Emilija Georgieva, Swiss Ambassador to Jordan, Amjad Rawashdeh, CEO of NEPCO, Dr. Ismael Al Hinti, President of HTU and Lutfi Al Sharif , vice president of HTU.

NEPCO is a key player in the Jordanian energy sector as it owns and operates the electricity transmission system. She played a key role in Jordan’s renewable energy transformation, leveraging private capital and skills to unlock the country’s wind and solar energy resources.

Since 2012, the EBRD has provided over €2 billion through 71 projects in Jordan, 71 percent of which are in the private sector, including financial support to the Jordanian banking sector in the form of loans to micro, small and medium-sized enterprises, subordinated debt and facilities trade finance.