Jordan ICT Sector Competencies Skills and Needs Assessment 2012

ICT Sector Competencies, Skills, and Needs
Assessment, Jordan 2012
Published in: June 2013

Contents
Overview.......................................................................................................................................... 4
Section I: ICT Workforce Assessment.............................................................................................. 5
Preface............................................................................................................................................. 5
Methodology................................................................................................................................... 6
Respondent Companies Classification According to ISIC Industry Segments ................................. 7
ICT Supply Availability & Importance .............................................................................................. 8
Qualifications Requirements for Job Titles ..................................................................................... 9
Job Title: Customer Relations...................................................................................................... 9
Job Title: Database Programming and Management.................................................................. 9
Job Title: E-Business .................................................................................................................. 10
Job Title: ICT Consulting ............................................................................................................ 10
Job Title: Networking, Infrastructure, and Security .................................................................. 10
Job Title: Software Development.............................................................................................. 10
Job Title: System Administration & Technical Support ............................................................ 10
Job Title: Project Management ................................................................................................. 11
Job Title: Business Analysis........................................................................................................ 11
Job Title: HR & Administration .................................................................................................. 11
Job Title: Business Development and Sales............................................................................... 11
Job Title: PR, Marketing and Communication........................................................................... 11
Additional Findings........................................................................................................................ 11
Recruitment norms.................................................................................................................... 11
Training norms........................................................................................................................... 11
Tables Representing Full Responses ............................................................................................. 12
APPENDIX I: List of Participating Companies................................................................................. 20
APPENDIX II: ICT Workforce Assessment 2012 Questionnaire ..................................................... 21
Section II: Universities Survey ....................................................................................................... 25
Introduction................................................................................................................................... 25
Non-Technical Skills Development Courses .................................................................................. 25

ICT Sector Competencies, Skills, and Needs Assessment,
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Technical Skills Development Courses .......................................................................................... 25
Universities ICT Involvement......................................................................................................... 26
Additional Findings........................................................................................................................ 26
Jordan Universities Expected Number of ICT Graduates 2012-2013............................................ 27
APPENDIX III: List of Participating Universities............................................................................. 28
List of Universities Invited to Fill the Survey ............................................................................. 28
APPENDIX IV: Universities Survey 2012 Questionnaire................................................................. 29
Section III: Employers Universities Preferences............................................................................ 31
Preface & Disclaimer ..................................................................................................................... 31
Ranking Universities Above and Below Average........................................................................... 32
Technical Knowledge................................................................................................................. 32
Applied Logic (Math & Physics)................................................................................................. 32
Business Ethics........................................................................................................................... 32
Life, Interpersonal and, Entrepreneurial Skills.......................................................................... 32
Languages (Mainly English) ....................................................................................................... 32
Graduates Readiness (Duration to be Able to Fulfill Job Requirements).................................. 32
Companies’ Views on Fresh Graduates......................................................................................... 35
Top Five Universities According to Company Hiring Preferences................................................. 36
Ranking Universities According to Non-Technical Requirements................................................. 36
Fresh Graduates Recruitment Considerations .............................................................................. 37
Industry-Academia Collaboration Programs ................................................................................. 37
The Graduates Internship Program (GIP)...................................................................................... 38
Internship Programs...................................................................................................................... 39
Universities with Highest ICT Employment Percentages .............................................................. 40
ICT Majors’ Employability Findings ............................................................................................... 41
APPENDIX V: List of Participating Companies ............................................................................... 45
APPENDIX VI: ICT Employer Universities Preferences 2012 Questionnaire.................................. 46
Summary of HR Challenges and Recommendations..................................................................... 49

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Overview
The Information and Communications Technology Association of Jordan (int@j) has been
working on assessing the gap between academia output and ICT sector requirements.
This report follows a series of reports published in 2008 and 2010 in the same area. The 2012
assessment has evolved from the predecessor assessments to include new areas and capture
the following sections:
I. ICT Workforce Assessment
The 2012 ICT Workforce assessment comes complementary to the previous studies in
the series, while updating the previous survey to take into consideration the
development of the ICT sector during the last two years.
II. Universities Survey
This section reflects the outcome of a statistical information survey designed to collect
supporting data from Universities to present their collaboration with the industry.
III. Employers Universities Preferences
This section provides a comprehensive view about companies’ preferences when hiring
graduates from Private and Public Jordanian Universities.

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Section I: ICT Workforce Assessment
Preface
The workforce survey is biennial industry study report published by the ICT Association of
Jordan (int@j); aiming to assess the market and industry needs of ICT sector, to be reflected in
the outcomes of the ICT related fields at the Jordanian universities through regular revision of
their curricula.
In 2008, the first edition of this study was conducted by the German-Jordanian University (GJU)
in collaboration with the Ministry of Information and Communications Technology,
USAID/Jordan and the Economic Growth Project and European (EU) Commission/TEMPUS , its
goal was mainly to assess the competency of the workforce in Jordan as well as the needs of the
working companies in the ICT sector, and be a catalyst for developing high-quality professional
education with a curriculum that is continuously and systematically reviewed and developed to
ensure that it continues to meet the demands of the fast-growing and evolving information
technology sector in Jordan and in the region.
Another study was conducted in 2010 for the same purpose by MoICT. Its purpose was to assess
the ICT sector demand of workforce, in terms of knowledge, skills, and experience. Universities’
feedback was assured through a national workshop in which results and outcomes were
discussed and finalized.
The 2012 ICT Workforce Assessment comes complementary to the previous studies in the
series, while updating the previous survey to take into consideration the development of the ICT
sector during the last two years. Consequently, a corporative framework between the ICT
industry and Universities will be concluded to effectively satisfy the ICT markets needs of
professionals.
Focusing on a commitment to build ICT workforce qualified for the local and regional ICT and
knowledge intensive industries, particular aims are:
 Matching between the ICT educational systems outcome and ICT industry requirements.
 Assessing new technologies in the ICT market reflecting the technological development
during the last two years.
 Assessing ICT competencies needs as well forecasting the future needs according to the ICT
Companies survey in order to be reflected in the ICT educational systems.
 Developing internship programs and work placements to align educational outcomes with
the skill requirements; and
 Actively engaging industry with Academia and developing partnerships for cooperation.

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The ICT Association of Jordan-int@j thanks all industry participants and member companies for
their cooperation and contribution to the survey.
Methodology
The ICT Sector Competencies, Skills, and Needs Assessment Survey; focusing on Jordan’s ICT
Workforce, took place between September and December 2012, and was conducted based on
an online questionnaire. Data was collected by online form submissions from companies.
Initially, the questionnaire was distributed to companies by e-mail, but due to low response
rates; additional approaches, like follow-up phone calls and interviews, were followed.
The survey sample focused on IT and Telecom companies from int@j members and is
representative of these segments only, not covering (gaming, online/ mobile content). The total
population was around 100 companies including companies that perform IT and Telecom
activities, according to the latest sector classification based on The International Standard of
Industrial Classification of All Economic Activities (ISC 4.0). The response ratio was (28%) out of
the population who were invited to fill in and answer the questionnaire.
Reference to the response ratio, it is considered a representative sample covering major
segments under ICT ISIC classifications. The personnel surveyed were primarily Human Resource
Managers or, where not possible, other managerial staff that had information on HR and
recruitment answered the questionnaire.
Data was filtered and verified to an extent where any outliers where removed and not
highlighted as an outcome in this report; and all respondents’ answers were normalized and
standardized to bring all variable responses into proportion with one another. The main focus is
to conclude the ICT industry’s top requirements for different job titles and for various
qualification criteria; therefore, this report only demonstrates the highest percentage responses
by displaying top three or top five employer requirements.
Noting that the questionnaire also captures some qualitative data; general opinions and
feedback were listed and converted to numeric quantitative data to fit under the report’s
structured conclusions.

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Respondent Companies Classification According to ISIC Industry
Segments
Respondents were asked to indicate there company’s industry segment, this table captures
percentage of companies working in ICT industry segments, it is advised to look into type of
companies working segments when understanding the reports workforce analysis findings.
ISIC Industry Segments Percentage of companies
Information technology and computer service activities 36%
Computer programming activities 32%
Information technology outsourcing ITO 32%
Other telecommunications activities 25%
Computer consultancy and computer facilities management activities 25%
Software publishing 21%
Activities of call centers 18%
Web portals 14%
Business process outsourcing BPO 14%
Data processing, hosting and related activities 11%
ICT Related Training 11%
Installation of communications equipment 7%
Installation of mainframe and similar computers 7%
Wholesale of computers, computer peripheral equipment and software 7%
Wired telecommunications activities 7%
Wireless telecommunications activities 7%
Online/Mobile content 7%
Manufacture of electronic components and boards 4%
Wholesale of telephone and communications equipment 4%
Repair of computers and peripheral equipment 4%
Repair of communications transmission equipment (e.g. routers,
bridges, modems)
4%
Table 1 Respondents may select more than one option, so percentages may add up to more than 100 %

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ICT Supply Availability & Importance
In this section respondents were asked to rate their experiences in finding well educated
resources in the local labor market, assigned to specific University majors, majors were rated
(easy to find & most difficult to find) , and (very important to their company & not important ).
 75% of ICT employers believe there are overall problems in finding well educated resources
in the labor market.
Availability
 ‘Business Information Systems’ graduates are the most available in the market indicated as
easiest to find, followed by ‘Accounting Information Systems’ and ‘Electronic Engineering’
respectively.
 ‘Software Engineering’ graduates were rated as most difficult to find followed by ‘Computer
Science’ and ‘Computer Information System’ respectively.
Importance
 ‘Computer Information System’ and ‘Computer Science’ graduates are indicated as very
important to most companies, followed by and ‘Software Engineering’ respectively.
 ‘Accounting Information Systems’ graduates are indicated as not important to most
companies, followed by ‘Electronic Engineering’ and ‘Telecom Engineering’ respectively.
Conclusions:
 ‘Computer Information System’ and ‘Computer Science’ graduates are difficult to find and
very important to most companies.
 ‘Accounting Information Systems’ graduates are easy to find and not important to most
companies.

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Qualifications Requirements for Job Titles
For each job title below, required competencies and skills are categorized into four qualification
criteria:
1. Required technical skills
2. Required life skills
3. Required bachelor’s degree
List of Job Titles:
o Customer Relations
o Database Programming and Management
o E-Business
o ICT Consulting
o Networking, Infrastructure, and Security
o Software Development
o System Administration & Technical Support
o Project Management
o Business Analysis
o HR & Administration
o Business Development and Sales
o PR, Marketing, and Communication
Results for this section are summarized and grouped per job title:
Job Title: Customer Relations
 Top three required life skills are communication skills, English language skills and
presentation skills respectively.
 Top three bachelor’s degrees among which Customer Relations are hired are Marketing,
Management Information Systems, and Business Management respectively.
Job Title: Database Programming and Management
 Top three required technical skills are MS SQL server, Database design & admin, and
Database Oracle respectively.
 Top three required life skills are planning skills, English language skills, and communication
skills respectively.
 Top bachelor’s degrees among which Database Programming and Management are hired
are Computer Information Systems and Business Information Systems respectively.

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Job Title: E-Business
 Top three required technical skills are DB2 and Systems Analysis and Database Design &
Admin respectively.
 Top Three required life skills are English language skills, People and Change Management,
and Time Management skills respectively.
 Top required industry certification is Oracle Professional Certifications.
 Top Three bachelor’s degrees among which E-Business are hired are Management
Information Systems, Computer Science, and Computer Information Systems respectively.
Job Title: ICT Consulting
 Top Three required life skills are People and Change Management, English language skills,
and Non-Technical Writing skills respectively.
 Top Three bachelor’s degrees among which ICT Consulting are hired from are Management
Information Systems, Economics, and Computer Information Systems respectively.
Job Title: Networking, Infrastructure, and Security
 Top Three required technical skills are Network Administrator, Network Implementation,
and System Administrator UNIX/Linux respectively.
 Top Three required life skills are Presentation Skills, English language skills, and Time
Management skills respectively.
 Top bachelor’s degrees among which Networking, Infrastructure, and Security are hired are
Management Information Systems, Business Information Systems, and Computer
Information Systems respectively.
Job Title: Software Development
 Top Three required technical skills are PHP, Telecom protocols, and Oracle e-business
respectively.
 Top Three required life skills are Creative Thinking Skills, Planning Skills, and English
Language Skills respectively.
 Top bachelor’s degrees among which Software Development are hired are Computer
Science, Management Information Systems, Computer Information Systems respectively.
Job Title: System Administration & Technical Support
 Top three required technical skills are PHP, Telecom Protocols, and ASP respectively.
 Top three required life skills are Planning skills, Problem Solving, and Non Technical Writing
skills respectively.
 Top bachelor’s degrees among which System Administration & Technical Support are hired
from are Management Information Systems, Computer Science, and Computer Information
Systems respectively.

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Job Title: Project Management
 Top Three required life skills are Problem Solving, Creative Thinking, and Planning Skills
respectively.
Job Title: Business Analysis
 Top Three required life skills are Problem Solving, Creative Thinking, and Sales &Marketing
Analysis Techniques respectively.
 Top bachelor’s degrees among which Business Analysis are hired are Computer Information
Systems, Computer Science, and Economics respectively.
Job Title: HR & Administration
 Top three required life skills are Non-Technical Writing skills, Creative Thinking, and Sales &
Marketing Analysis Techniques respectively.
Job Title: Business Development and Sales
 Top three required life skills are Creative Thinking, Non-Technical Writing skills, and Problem
Solving skills respectively.
Job Title: PR, Marketing and Communication
 Top Three required life skills are Non-Technical Writing skills, People Change Management,
and Sales & Marketing Analysis Techniques respectively.
 Top bachelor’s degrees among which PR, Marketing and Communication are hired is
Marketing.
Additional Findings
Recruitment norms
 64% of employers are recruiting staff through advertisements on company website.
 61 % of employers are recruiting staff through university vocational centers/ headhunting
recruitment agencies or word of mouth.
 43% of employers are recruiting staff through public advertisement.
Training norms
 86% of employers send their staff for internal training.
 68% of employers send their staff for external training.
 75% of employers send their staff for technical training.
 46% of employers send their staff for non-technical training.
 4% of employers don’t send their staff for any training.

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Tables Representing Full Responses
Major Easy to find
Business Information Systems 44%
Accounting Information Systems 37%
Electronic Engineering 37%
Telecom Engineering 37%
Management Information Systems 33%
Software Engineering 30%
Computer Engineering 26%
Computer Science 22%
Information System Engineering 19%
Computer Information System 18%
Table 2: percentage of companies that indicated easy to find graduates with ICT majors
Major Difficult to find
Table 3: percentage of companies that indicated difficult to find graduates with ICT majors
Major Very important to their company
Table 4: percentage of companies that indicated ICT majors very important to their company

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Major Not important to their company
Computer Science 8%
Table 5: percentage of companies that indicated ICT majors not important to their company
Life Skills Customer Relations
Communication skills 93%
English language skills 89%
Presentation skills 81%
Team work 74%
Interpersonal skills 59%
Time management 59%
Professional workplace ethics 59%
Problem solving 59%
Table 6 Percentage of companies specifying important life skills for Customer Relations position
Bachelor Degree Customer Relations
Marketing 52%
Business Management 44%
Public Administration 44%
Table 7 Percentage of companies specifying important bachelor degrees for Customer Relations position
Technical Skills
Database Programming and
Management
MS SQL server 63%
Database design & admin 63%
Database Oracle 59%
MySQL 48%
System administrator –UNIX/ Linux 37%
Microsoft Windows 37%
.NET 33%
DB2 30%

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Table 8 Percentage of companies specifying important technical skills for Database Programming and Management position
Life Skills
Management
Planning skills 70%
Team work 52%
People & change management 52%
Time management 48%
Interpersonal skills 44%
Table 9 Percentage of companies specifying important life skills for Database Programming and Management position
Bachelor Degree
Management
Computer Information Systems 52%
Business information systems 41%
Table 10 Percentage of companies specifying important bachelor degrees for Database Programming and Management position
Technical Skills E-Business
DB2 37%
Systems analysis 37%
Database Oracle 26%
Table 11 Percentage of companies specifying important technical skills for E-Business position
Life Skills E-Business
Time management 59%
Team work 52%
Creative thinking skills 52%
Problem solving 52%
Table 12 Percentage of companies specifying important life skills for E-Business position
Industry Certification E-Business
Oracle Professional Certifications 22%
Table 13 Percentage of companies specifying important industry certification for E-Business position

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Bachelor Degree E-Business
Computer science 44%
Table 14 Percentage of companies specifying important bachelor degrees for E-Business position
Life Skills ICT Consulting
Non-technical writing skills 67%
Problem solving 63%
Team work 59%
Planning skills 59%
Sales & marketing analysis & techniques 59%
Technical writing skills 52%
Time management 48%
Table 15 Percentage of companies specifying important life skills for ICT consulting position
Bachelor Degree ICT Consulting
Economics 52%
Marketing 48%
Table 16 Percentage of companies specifying important bachelor degrees for ICT consulting position
Technical Skills
Networking, Infrastructure, and
Security
Network administrator 56%
Network implementation 52%
Systems analysis 41%
Table 17 Percentage of companies specifying important technical skills for Networking, Infrastructure, and Security positions

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Life Skills
Security
Time management 63%
Problem solving 56%
Planning skills 52%
Table 18 Percentage of companies specifying important life skills for Networking, Infrastructure, and Security positions
Bachelor Degree
Security
Table 19 Percentage of companies specifying important bachelor degrees for Networking, Infrastructure, and Security positions
Technical Skills Software Development
PHP 63%
Telecom protocols 52%
Oracle e-business 44%
C# 44%
Systems application support 41%
MS Dynamics 41%
Table 20 Percentage of companies specifying important technical skills for Software Development position
Life Skills Software Development
Planning skills 78%
Problem solving 70%
Team work 63%
Sales and marketing analysis and techniques 59%
Table 21 Percentage of companies specifying important life skills for Software Development position

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Bachelor Degree Software Development
Software engineering 4%
Table 22 Percentage of companies specifying important bachelor degrees for Software Development position
Technical Skills
System Administration &
Technical Support
PHP 63%
Telecom protocols 52%
ASP 41%
Network implementation 33%
MS Dynamics 30%
Java 30%
Oracle e-business 26%
Table 23 Percentage of companies specifying important technical skills for System Administration & Technical Support positions
Life Skills
Technical Support
Planning skills 78%
Problem solving 70%
Team work 57%
Table 24 Percentage of companies specifying important life skills for System Administration & Technical Support positions
Bachelor Degree
Technical Support
Software engineering 19%
Table 25 Percentage of companies specifying important bachelor degrees for System Administration & Technical Support
positions

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Life Skills Project Management
Problem solving 93%
Planning skills 85%
Time management 74%
Table 26 Percentage of companies specifying important life skills for Project Management positions
Life Skills Business Analysis
Problem solving 78%
Team work 52%
Table 27 Percentage of companies specifying important life skills for Business Analysis positions
Bachelor Degree Business Analysis
Economics 41%
Table 28 Percentage of companies specifying important bachelor degrees for Business Analysis positions
Life Skills HR and Administration

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Problem solving 67%
Time management 67%
Planning skills 63%
Table 29 Percentage of companies specifying important life skills for HR and Administration positions
Life Skills Business Development and Sales
Problem solving 81%
Table 30 Percentage of companies specifying important life skills for Business Development and Sales positions
Life Skills
PR, Marketing and
Communication
Team work 59%
Time management 59%
Table 31 Percentage of companies specifying important life skills for PR, Marketing and Communication positions
Bachelor Degree
PR, Marketing and
Communication
Marketing 70%
Table 32 Percentage of companies specifying important bachelor degrees for PR, Marketing and Communication positions

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APPENDIX I: List of Participating Companies
1. Experts 911
2. ZeeDimension
3. Optimiza Group
4. International Cards Co.
5. Origin Training & Technical Consultancy (OTrain)
6. Business Plus Plus
7. CrysTelCall
8. Systems And Electronic Development FZCO (Sedco)
9. Eastern Networks
10. Globitel
11. Aspire Services
12. Blink Communications
13. Umniah Mobile Company
14. Sukhtian Group
15. TechnoSys Group
16. Electronic Health Solutions (EHS)
17. Rubicon Group Holding
18. Fourth Dimension Systems
19. Pioneers Information Technologies Co.LT (PioTech)
20. Jockey Electronics
21. Integrated Technology Group – ITG
22. Phonic for Telecom Solution Development (Telephoenic LLC)
23. Mirsal
24. Orange-Jordan Telecom Group
25. Crossborder Telecom
26. ESKADENIA Software
27. Dot.jo
28. Savvytek

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APPENDIX II: ICT Workforce Assessment 2012 Questionnaire
I. General Information
Company Name:
Street:
Zip-code
City:
Phone:
Fax:
E-mail:
Website:
Contact person(s):
(please include contact information)
1. Please indicate your company’s industry segment :
 Manufacture of electronic components and boards
 Manufacture of data communications equipment, such as bridges, routers, and
gateways
 Installation of communications equipment
 Installation of mainframe and similar computers
 Wholesale of computers, computer peripheral equipment and software
 Wholesale of telephone and communications equipment
 Software publishing
 Wired telecommunications activities
 Wireless telecommunications activities
 Other telecommunications activities
 Computer programming activities
 Computer consultancy and computer facilities management activities
 Other information technology and computer service activities
 Data processing, hosting and related activities
 Web portals
 Activities of call centers
 Repair of computers and peripheral equipment
 Repair of communications transmission equipment (e.g. routers, bridges, modems)
 ICT Related Training
 Online/Mobile content
 Games
 Business process outsourcing BPO
 Information technology outsourcing ITO

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2. Do you send your staff for training?
 Internal
 External
 Technical
 Non-technical
 None
II. Educational Data & ICT Core Job Roles
1. Do you have problems in finding well educated resources in the local labor market?
Yes/No
2. Please rate their availability of the below majors (Easy 1-5 Difficult) and the importance
to your company (1 not important-5 very important )
Major Importance for the company Availability
Computer Engineering
Telecom Engineering
Software engineering
Computer Information Systems
Computer science
Business Information Systems
Management Information Systems
Accounting Information Systems
Information Systems Engineering
3. How do you recruit your staff?
 University/vocational center
 Advertisements on company web site
 Head hunting/ Recruitment Agencies
 Public advertisements
 Word of mouth
 Other (specify)

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Qualifications requirements for job titles
1. From the table below please pick from the key job qualifications requirements you look for
when hiring ICT employees.
 List of Job Titles:
 Customer Relations
 Database Programming and Management
 E-Business
 ICT Consulting
 Networking, Infrastructure, and Security
 Software Development
 System Administration & Technical Support
 Project Management
 Business Analysis
 HR & Administration
 Business Development and Sales
 PR, Marketing, and Communication
Job Requirements Drop Down Lists:
Technical skills Life skills Industry Certification Degree
System administrator –
UNIX/ Linux
Creative thinking skills ICDL (International
Computing Driving
License)
Computer Engineering
Windows Microsoft English Language Skills CompTIA A+ Telecom Engineering
J2ME People & change
management
PMP – Project
Management
Software engineering
Oracle Team work CMM Information Technology
MS SQL server Communication skills ITIL v2-v3 Computer Information
Systems
MySQL Technical Writing Skills Six Sigma Computer Management
Systems
DB2 Sales, marketing analysis
& techniques
CoBIT Computer network
management
Wireless technologies Non-technical Writing
skills
Lean Principals Computer science
Database design & admin Presentation skills Cisco Professional
Certifications
Computer programming
Systems analysis Interpersonal skills Dell Professional
Certifications
Business information
systems
Telecom protocols Time management HP Professional
Certifications
Management
information systems
Systems application
support
Professional workplace
ethics
IBM Professional
Certifications
Accounting
Management Systems

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Systems design Planning skills Microsoft Professional
Certifications
Electronic Engineering
SAP Problem solving Oracle Professional
Certifications
Systems testing SUN Professional
Certifications Business
analysis
MS Dynamics Animation/Graphics
Network administrator Outsourcing professional
Network implementation
Network design
PLC technology
PIC Microcontroller
Cisco networking
J2EE
3 Com networking
HCI design (Human
computer interaction
design)
Html
XML
PHP
Internet and systems
security
Network configuration
.NET
Visual Basic
Java
C++
C#
ASP
Oracle e-business
Other (please mention) Other (please mention) Other (please mention) Other (please mention)

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Section II: Universities Survey
Introduction
The Universities statistical information survey was designed to collect supporting data from
Universities to provide information on universities collaboration with the industry and collect
some statistical information to get an overview on how the collaboration between Universities
and employers leads to enhancing the quality of ICT graduates for better national economic
development for the ICT sector.
Non-Technical Skills Development Courses
Universities were asked to show what type of non-technical skills courses they are offering to
students, noting that most of the below courses are part of the curricula work plan for IT
students. Project management was found as a mandatory course for most of IT majors.
Technical writing and communication skills courses were found to be a mandatory track for IT
students in most Universities. And most Universities provide career advisory only as a series of
seminars and advisory sessions organized for students on voluntary basis.
 70% of Universities conduct Project management courses
 52% of Universities conduct Employee preparation (CV writing, interview expectations)
sessions.
 41% of Universities conduct Career advisory sessions.
 41% of Universities conduct Soft and interpersonal skills
 37% of Universities conduct Languages (Mainly English)
 33% of Universities conduct Business and management skills
 22% of Universities conduct PR and communications
 22% of Universities conduct Business ethics
 19% of Universities conduct Entrepreneurship
 11% of Universities conduct Sales and marketing
Technical Skills Development Courses
 89% of Universities include students' summer training with ICT private sector companies as
a faculty requirement.
 78% of Universities are involved in the matchmaking process to connect students with
private sector companies.
 89% of Universities are providing guidelines for student’s summer training as facilitation and
orientation.

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 93% of Universities are involved in tracking, monitoring and evaluating students overall
summer training.
 52% of Universities consider accredited professional certifications as a substitute for
summer training, while 48% responded that such certifications aren’t a substitute.
 33% of Universities are involved in doing an annual ‘ICT Graduates Talent Disclosure’, where
Universities profile and introduce top ICT graduates to the market.
Universities ICT Involvement
 56% of Universities maintain a tracking record to monitor and record employability of their
graduates
 71% of Universities who maintain graduates tracking records publish them online
 Universities are using ICT for the following purposes:
o 92% for E-learning projects
o 79% for Research
o 58% for Help desk technical support
o 46% for Simulation
 5 out of 15 respondent Universities hold international specialized (programs or professional
accreditation) of quality certifications from the following certification bodies:
o ABET- accredited (formerly Accreditation Board for Engineering & Technology)
o The Association for Information Technology Professionals (AITP)
o British Quality Assurance for IT faculties
Additional Findings
 Universities were asked to provide information about professors’ and students’ research
and whether research material is published online:
o 93% of Universities publish research publications done by Professors
o 88% of Professors’ publications are published online
o 74% of Universities publish research done by Students
o 78% of Students’ publications are published online
 56% of Universities are working on Industry/Academia projects with ICT companies.
 Universities are promoting Industry/Academia projects by the following means:
o 37% use web announcements and newsletters
o 22% use social media websites
o 15% use newspapers
o 22% use other means like direct contacts and joint meetings
 Mechanisms used to communicate ICT Graduates talent disclosure (sharing best students
names and achievements) to the private sector market:

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o Invite private sectors to judge contests, competitions and graduation projects to
announce winners among students and among universities
o Invite companies to interview top students on campus through open days in the
university or specialized IT exhibitions.
o Private companies solicit names and contacts of students with superior achievements
through direct communication (online or by e-mail)
Jordan Universities Expected Number of ICT Graduates 2012-2013
Major Public Universities Private Universities Total Number
Computer Engineering 445 85
530
Telecom and Electronic Engineering 547 211
758
Computer Science 798 470
1268
Software Engineering 235 338
573
Computer Information Systems 626 311
937
Business Information Systems 81 0
81
Accounting Information Systems 446 23
469
Management Information Systems 852 428
1280
Total Number of ICT graduates 4030 1866 5869
Table 33: Source: Higher Education Accreditation Commission

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APPENDIX III: List of Participating Universities
1. The University of Jordan
2. Mutah University
3. Yarmouk University
4. Hashemite University
5. Jordan University of Science and Technology
6. World Islamic Science University (WISE)
7. Princess Sumaya University for Technology PSUT
8. Philadelphia University
9. Applied Science University
10. Al al-Bayt University
11. Arab Open University
12. Amman Arab University
13. Al-Ahliyya Amman University
14. Jerash University
15. Jadara University
List of Universities Invited to Fill the Survey
2. German-Jordanian University
3. Zarqa University
4. Arab Open University
5. Jordan University of Science & Technology
6. Jarash University
7. Al - Ahliyya Amman University
8. The Hashemite University
9. Princess Sumaya University for Technology
10. University of Petra
11. Irbid National University
12. Philadelphia University
13. American Jordanian University
14. New York institute of technology
15. AL-Balqa Applied University
16. University of Banking & Financial Sciences
17. AL-Hussein Bin Talal University
18. Al-Zaytoonah University of Jordan
19. World Islamic Sciences & Education WISE
20. Amman Arab University
21. Applied Science University (Private)
22. Tafila Technical University
23. Mu'tah University
25. Ajloun National Private University

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26. Jadara University
27. Isra University
28. AL al-Bayt University
29. Middle East University
APPENDIX IV: Universities Survey 2012 Questionnaire
1. Do you publish Professors research publications? Yes/No
If yes, what means do you use to publish your research publications?
Online
Other means:
2. Do you publish Students research publications? Yes/No
If yes, what means do you use to publish your research publications?
Online
Other means:
3. Is your University working on Industry/Academia projects with ICT companies? Yes/No
If yes, how does your university promote those projects?
 Web announcements and newsletters
 Social media websites
 News papers
 Other please specify
4. Is your University/Faculty involved in establishing non-technical programs and skills
development programs and courses in the following areas, please tick beside each area:
 Career advisory
 Business ethics
 Soft and interpersonal skills
 languages (Mainly English)
 Business and management skills
 Project management
 Sales and marketing
 PR and communications
 Entrepreneurship
 Employee preparation (C.V writing, interview expectations … )

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5. Does your University include student’s summer training with ICT private sector
companies as a faculty requirement? Yes/No
If yes, please answer the following questions:
-Is your University involved in the matchmaking process connecting students with
companies?
-Is your University providing guidelines for the summer training?
-Does your University maintain tracking, evaluating & monitoring students overall
summer trainings?
-Does your University consider accredited professional certifications as a substitute for
summer training?
6. Is your university involved in doing an annual ‘ICT Graduates Talent Disclosure*’, where
you profile and introduce your top ICT graduates to the market? Yes/No
If yes, what mechanism are you using to communicate it to the market?
*Graduates Talent Disclosure: “Report and disclose details of top graduates, names,
rates and other contact information in a clear, prominent and user-friendly manner
for the reference and use of the private sector”
7. Do you maintain a tracking record to monitor employability of your graduates? Yes/No
If yes, how do you publish it?
Online
Other please specify
8. For what purposes are you using ICT at your university :
 E-learning projects
 Help desk technical support
 Simulation
 Research
9. From the list below, does your university hold any specialized accreditation
(programmatic or professional accreditation) of quality certifications:
 ABET- accredited (formerly Accreditation Board for Engineering & Technology)
 The Association for Information Technology Professionals (AITP)

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Section III: Employers Universities Preferences
Preface & Disclaimer
This section has been compiled from surveying ICT employers (int@j member companies); in
order to provide a comprehensive view about companies’ preferences when hiring graduates of
Private and Public Jordanian Universities.
While every effort has been made to ensure the accuracy of the information included in this
report, int@j accepts no liability for the precision of the data contained in the Universities
Ranking. These rankings do not necessarily represent int@j’s view but rather ICT private
companies’ views.
University rankings are listed according to input provided by survey respondents. Rankings are
not based on scientific and academic bases; but they rather reflect employers’ hiring
preferences out of all Jordanian universities offering ICT-related courses.
Many factors should be taken into consideration when reading through this report, in order not
to take any judgmental views on Universities rankings and quality of educational entities
mentioned herein; at this level this report shows views of actual hiring from the surveyed
sample. Factors that could affect each University rank, and which are not included in this study,
are the following, but not limited to:
 Number of annual student graduates from Universities
 Number of graduates employed locally in surveyed companies versus regionally
 ICT faculty department and major variety
 Actual hiring numbers from a University in specific
The targeted sample was large ICT companies (more than 50 employees) through contacting
dedicated HR personnel and departments. The total sample size was (50 companies) including
companies that perform ICT activities, according to the latest sector classification based on The
International Standard of Industrial Classification of All Economic Activities (ISIC 4.0). The
response ratio was (56%) with total of (23) companies that answered the questionnaire.
Reference to the response ratio, it is considered a representative sample covering more than
one segment under ICT ISIC classifications. Personnel surveyed, were primarily Human Resource
Managers or, where not possible, other managerial staff that had information on HR and
recruitment answered the questionnaire.

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Ranking Universities Above and Below Average
In this section an average rating of a fresh graduate is defined as:
A senior student /recent graduate who have the theoretical and practical know-how that can be
built on to satisfy companies' needs within an expected period of time (3-6 months) after which
this graduate can be considered a productive team member.
Companies here are indicating University students that are graduating with an ABOVE AVERAGE
'Good to Excellent' rating scale and a BELOW AVERAGE ‘Poor to Fair ' rating scale according to
companies preference and perception grouped into the following areas:
Technical Knowledge
 The three Universities that ranked above average are The University of Jordan, Jordan
University of Science & Technology, and Princess Sumaya University for Technology.
 The three Universities that ranked below average are Isra University, University of Petra and
Mu'tah University.
Applied Logic (Math & Physics)
 The three Universities that ranked above average are The University of Jordan, Yarmouk
University and Jordan University of Science & Technology.
 The three Universities that ranked below average are Isra University, Zarqa University and
Princess Sumaya University for Technology.
Business Ethics
University of Science & Technology, and Yarmouk University.
 The three Universities that ranked below average are The Hashemite University, Irbid
National University and Isra University.
Life, Interpersonal and, Entrepreneurial Skills
 The three Universities that ranked above average are The University of Jordan, German-
Jordanian University, and Jordan University of Science & Technology.
 The three Universities that ranked below average are Al - Ahliyya Amman University, Zarqa
University and World Islamic Sciences & Education WISE.
Languages (Mainly English)
University of Science & Technology, and Al - Ahliyya Amman University.
 The three Universities that ranked below average are Tafila Technical University, World
Islamic Sciences & Education WISE and Jarash University.
Graduates Readiness (Duration to be Able to Fulfill Job Requirements)
 The three Universities that ranked above average are The University of Jordan, German-
Jordanian University and Jordan University of Science & Technology.
 The three Universities that ranked below average are AL-Balqa Applied University, Mu'tah
University and Tafila Technical University.

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Ranking Universities above average:
University Name Technical Knowledge
The University of Jordan 87%
Jordan University of Science & Technology 78%
Princess Sumaya University for Technology 70%
Yarmouk University 52%
The Hashemite University 48%
Mu'tah University 35%
AL-Balqa Applied University 35%
Table 34: percentage of companies ranking Universities Graduates 'ABOVE AVERAGE' in technical knowledge
University Name Applied Logic (Math & Physics)
Table 35: percentage of companies ranking Universities Graduates 'ABOVE AVERAGE' in aplied logic (math & physics)
University Name Business Ethics
German-Jordanian University 57%
Zarqa University 39%
Table 36: percentage of companies ranking Universities Graduates 'ABOVE AVERAGE' in business ethics
University Name Life, Interpersonal &
Entrepreneurial skills
Table 37: percentage of companies ranking Universities Graduates 'ABOVE AVERAGE' in life interpersonal and entrepreneurial
skills
University Name Languages (Mainly English)
Al - Ahliyya Amman University 57%

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Table 38: percentage of companies ranking Universities Graduates 'ABOVE AVERAGE' in languages mainly English
University Name Duration to Become Productive
Table 39: percentage of companies ranking Universities Graduates 'ABOVE AVERAGE' in duration to become productive
Ranking Universities below average:
University Name Technical Knowledge
Isra University 35%
University of Petra 35%
AL al-Bayt University 26%
Al-Zaytoonah University of Jordan 26%
Arab Open University 26%
Table 40: percentage of companies ranking Universities Graduates 'BELOW AVERAGE' in technical knowledge
University Name
Applied Logic (Math & Physics)
Isra University 26%
Amman Arab University 26%
Table 41: percentage of companies ranking Universities Graduates 'BELOW AVERAGE' in applied logic (Math & Physics)
University Name Business Ethics
Irbid National University 26%
Isra University 22%
Table 42: percentage of companies ranking Universities Graduates 'BELOW AVERAGE' in business ethics

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University Name Life, Interpersonal &,
Entrepreneurial skills
World Islamic Sciences & Education WISE 26%
Tafila Technical University 22%
Table 43: percentage of companies ranking Universities Graduates 'BELOW AVERAGE' in life, interpersonal & entrepreneurial
skills
University Name Languages (Mainly English)
Tafila Technical University 35%
Jarash University 30%
AL-Hussein Bin Talal University 30%
Table 44: percentage of companies ranking Universities Graduates 'BELOW AVERAGE' in languages mainly English
University Name Duration to Become Productive
Table 45: percentage of companies ranking Universities Graduates 'BELOW AVERAGE' in duration to become productive
Companies’ Views on Fresh Graduates
 74% of Companies think fresh graduates who apply at their organization are deficient in
many skills.
 26% of Companies think fresh graduates who apply at their organization are not deficient in
any skills, but rather productive, positive and have great spirit towards work.
 Companies who believe fresh graduates are deficient in skills, are in the following areas:
o Creativity and career vision o Technical writing
o English language o Common sense
o Communications (both written and verbal) o Soft skills
o Dedication, commitment and time management o Business ethics

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Page 36
Top Five Universities According to Company Hiring Preferences
3. Princess Sumaya University for Technology
Table 46 Percentage of companies picking top 5 hiring preferneces
Ranking Universities According to Non-Technical Requirements
Companies were asked to rank Universities whose graduates satisfy the jobs’ non-technical
requirements:
 Top three Universities graduates that satisfy companies’ needs in ‘Business and
Management Skills’ are The University of Jordan, Jordan University of Science & Technology,
and Princess Sumaya University for Technology.
 Top three Universities graduates that satisfy companies’ needs in ‘Project Management
Skills’ are The University of Jordan, Yarmouk University, and Jordan University of Science &
Technology.
 Top Universities graduates that satisfy companies’ needs in ‘Sales and Marketing Skills’ are
The University of Jordan and Yarmouk University.
 Top three Universities graduates that satisfy companies’ needs in ‘PR and Communications
Skills’ are The University of Jordan, Yarmouk University, Jordan University of Science &
Technology & Princess Sumaya University for Technology ..
 Top two Universities graduates that satisfy companies’ needs in ‘Administration & Finance
Skills’ are The University of Jordan and Yarmouk University.
University Name Business and Management Skills
Table 47: percentage of companies ranking University Graduates that satisfy their business and management skills requirements
University Name Project Management
Table 48: percentage of companies ranking University Graduates that satisfy their project management skills requirements

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University Name Sales and Marketing
Table 49: percentage of companies ranking University Graduates that satisfy their sales and marketing skills requirements
University Name PR & Communications
Table 50: percentage of companies ranking University Graduates that satisfy their PR & communications skills requirements
University Name Administration & Finance
Table 51: percentage of companies ranking University Graduates that satisfy their administration and finance skills requirements
Fresh Graduates Recruitment Considerations
 83% of companies consider University grades
 61% of companies consider University name
 39% of companies consider graduation projects
 30% of companies consider secondary school grades
 9% of companies consider secondary school name
 30% of companies consider other options like:
o Internship, training & certifications
o English, personal & communication skills and creativity skills
Industry-Academia Collaboration Programs
 48% of the companies surveyed work on industry collaboration programs with Universities
compared to 52% that don’t.
 Top Three Universities that companies have indicated working with are The University of
Jordan, Princess Sumaya University for Technology and Yarmouk University.
 Type of projects they are involved in:
o 15% of companies work on joint programs between academia and private sector
(mentorships, labs, research, private project, and graduation project, other ...)
o 77% of companies work on internship programs to help improve students’ knowledge
and skills before hiring them

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o 23% of companies work on industry/academia lectures
o 23% work on other projects
University Name Percentage of Companies
Applied Science University (Private) 15%
Philadelphia University 8%
Isra University 8%
Table 52: percentage of companies that have worked with each University on industry & academia projects
The Graduates Internship Program (GIP)
GIP is an initiative by The Ministry of Labor and Ministry of Information and Communications
Technology (MoICT), in cooperation with Jordan Computer Society and int@j-the ICT association
of Jordan; in the form of a 12-month employment program whereby the Government provides a
subsidy of 50% of each fresh graduate’s employee’s salary during the 12 months of
employment.
 70% of Companies benefited from the Graduates Internship Program (GIP)
 Companies rated their feedback on this program as below:
Figure 1 Companies experience rating the GIP Program: 1-Excellent - 5-Bad

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 30% of Companies responded that they haven’t benefited from the Graduates Internship
Program (GIP); because of the following reasons:
o Not being approached
o Not aware the initiative, or not believing it would be effective
o No business need to recruit new employees
Major Number of Registered
Applicants
Number of Employed
Applicants
Computer Networks 23 16
Software Engineering 456 217
Computer Engineering 896 335
Computer Science and Applications 74 27
Computer Science 880 321
Computer Information Systems 847 304
Business Information Systems 190 66
Computer System Engineering 89 27
Management Information Systems 558 150
Computer Graphics and Animation 15 4
Business Networking and Systems Management 107 22
Telecom Engineering 855 116
Accounting Information Systems 37 5
Total 5027 1610
Table 53: Number of Registered and Employed Graduates from the ‘ICT Graduate Internship Program’ (2009-2013)
Source: Ministry of Labor
Internship Programs
 83% of respondents are offering placements/ internships for Universities graduates at their
Company.
 74% of respondents are offering summer training to students before their actual graduation
for the following Universities Students:

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Page 40
Middle East University 6%
Isra University 6%
University of Banking & Financial Sciences 6%
New York institute of technology 6%
Table 54: percentage of Companies that offer summer training with each University
Universities with Highest ICT Employment Percentages
Companies were asked to track and identify their hiring numbers from which Universities, in the
last three years; Universities with highest ICT employment were:
2. AL-Balqa Applied University
University Name Employment % ICT Employment %
The University of Jordan 27% 24%
AL-Balqa Applied University 12% 14%
The Hashemite University 10% 11%
Yarmouk University 10% 10%
Jordan University of Science & Technology 8% 9%
Princess Sumaya University for Technology 4% 4%
Philadelphia University 4% 4%
Al-Zaytoonah University of Jordan 4% 4%
Applied Science University (Private) 3% 3%
AL al-Bayt University 2% 2%
Al - Ahliyya Amman University 2% 2%
University of Petra 2% 2%

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Mu'tah University 2% 2%
Amman Arab University 1% 2%
AL-Hussein Bin Talal University 1% 1%
Isra University 1% 1%
Zarqa University 1% 1%
New York institute of technology 1% 1%
Table 55: ICT employment percentages from total hiring at Companies
ICT Majors’ Employability Findings
 Top Five ICT majors that were employed among the survey sample were:
1. Computer Science
2. Computer Engineering
3. Computer Information Systems
4. Software Engineering
5. Management Information Systems
 Majors that ranked low among ICT employers were Economics, Public Administration, and
Accounting Information Systems.
This section indicates companies hiring percentages for majors in the last 3 years from which
Universities:
 Graduates with Computer Science bachelor degrees are hired the most from The University
of Jordan at 61%.
 Graduates with Computer Engineering bachelor degrees are hired the most from The
University of Jordan and Jordan University of Science & Technology at 52%.
 Graduates with Computer Information Systems bachelor degrees are hired the most from
The University of Jordan at 52%.
 Graduates with Business Information Systems bachelor degrees are hired the most from The
University of Jordan at 39%.
 Graduates with Telecom Engineering bachelor degrees are hired the most from Princess
Sumaya University for Technology at 30%.
 Graduates with Software Engineering bachelor degrees are hired the most from Princess
Sumaya University for Technology at 35%.
 Graduates with Accounting bachelor degrees are hired the most from The University of
Jordan at 22%.
 Graduates with Electronic Engineering bachelor degrees are hired the most from The
University of Jordan at 26%.

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 Graduates with marketing bachelor degrees are hired the most from The Hashemite
University at 13%.
 Graduates with Management Information Systems bachelor degrees are hired the most
from The German-Jordanian University, Princess Sumaya University for Technology, The
Hashemite University, and Philadelphia at 17%.
 Graduates with Business Management bachelor degrees are hired the most from The
University of Jordan and Jordan University of Science & Technology at 13%.
 Graduates with Economics bachelor degrees are hired the most from Yarmouk University at
9%.
 Graduates with Accounting Information Systems bachelor degrees are hired the most from
The University of Jordan and Al-Balqa Applied University at 9%.
University Major Number of employees
hired in the last 3 years
%
Computer Science 126 18%
Computer Engineering 104 15%
Computer Information Systems 82 12%
Software Engineering 73 11%
Management Information Systems 55 8%
Information Systems Engineering 49 7%
Business Information Systems 36 5%
Telecom Engineering 36 5%
Accounting 24 4%
Business Management 23 3%
Electronic Engineering 21 3%
Marketing 19 3%
Finance 14 2%
Accounting Information Systems 10 1%
Public Administration 7 1%
Economics 6 1%
Total 685 100%
Table 56: majors’ employability rank
University with Accounting Graduates Percentage of Companies
Table 57 Percentage of Companies hiring Accounting bachelor degree graduates
University with Accounting Information Systems Percentage of Companies

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Table 58 Percentage of Companies hiring Accounting Information Systems bachelor degree graduates
University with Business Information Systems Percentage of Companies
Table 59Percentage of Companies hiring Business Information Systems bachelor degree graduates
Table 60 Percentage of Companies hiring Business Management bachelor degree graduates
University with Computer Engineering Percentage of Companies
Table 61 Percentage of Companies hiring Computer Engineering bachelor degree graduates
University with Computer Information Systems Percentage of Companies
Table 62 Percentage of Companies hiring Computer Information Systems bachelor degree graduates
University with Computer Science Percentage of Companies
Table 63 Percentage of Companies hiring Computer Science bachelor degree graduates
University with Economics Percentage of Companies
Table 64 Percentage of Companies hiring Economics bachelor degree graduates
University with Electronic Engineering Percentage of Companies

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Table 65 Percentage of Companies hiring Electronic Engineering bachelor degree graduates
University with Management Information Systems Percentage of Companies
Table 66 Percentage of Companies hiring Management Information Systems bachelor degree graduates
University with Marketing Percentage of Companies
Table 67 Percentage of Companies hiring Marketing bachelor degree graduates
University with Software Engineering Percentage of Companies
Middle East University 30%
Table 68 Percentage of Companies hiring Software Engineering bachelor degree graduates
University with Telecom Engineering Percentage of Companies
Table 69 Percentage of Companies hiring Telecom Engineering bachelor degree graduates

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APPENDIX V: List of Participating Companies
1. ZeeDimension
2. Optimiza Group
3. Systems And Electronic Development FZCO (Sedco)
4. Business Plus Plus
5. Al Nasher Technical services Est
6. Globitel
7. CrysTelCall
8. Blink Communications
9. Origin Training & Technical Consultancy (OTrain)
10. Umniah Mobile Company
11. TechnoSys Group
12. Rubicon gropu holding
13. Electronic Health Solutions
14. Pioneers IT & Business Consulting
15. Fourth Dimension Systems
16. Integrated Technology Group – ITG
17. Phonic for Telecom Solution Development (Telephonic LLC)
18. Orange-Jordan Telecom Group
19. ESKADENIA Software
20. Crossborder Telecom
21. dot.jo
22. Aspire Services
23. Savvytek

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APPENDIX VI: ICT Employer Universities Preferences 2012
Questionnaire
An average rating: A senior student /recent graduate who have the theoretical and practical
know-how that can be built on to satisfy companies' needs within an expected period of time (3-
6 months) after which this graduate can be considered a productive team member....
Accordingly:
1. From which Universities students are graduating with an ABOVE AVERAGE 'Excellent to
Good' rating scale & BELOW AVERAGE ‘Poor to Fair' for each of the below skills:
 Technical knowledge
 Applied logic/science (Math & Physics)
 Business Ethics
 Life and Interpersonal, and entrepreneurial skills
 Languages (Mainly English)
 Duration to become productive
2. Over all, do you think fresh graduates who apply to your organization are deficient in
any skills, if so which skills?
3. Thinking about the last time fresh graduates were recruited at your workplace in the last
3 years, Please pick top five universities of which you prefer hiring from?
Tick boxes List of Universities
4. Which of the universities in your opinion satisfy the following non-technical
requirements? List of universities/ per criteria
 Business and management skills
 Project management
 Sales and marketing
 PR and communications
 Admin & finance
5. When recruiting fresh graduates; do you take into consideration the following :
 Secondary school grades
 University grades
 Both grades
 None
6. Do you work on industry collaboration programs with any of the selected universities?
Yes/No
If yes: Type, Number, & Nature of projects, which university
 Joint programs between academia and private sector (mentorships, labs, research, private
project, and graduation project, other ...)

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 Internship programs to help improve students’ knowledge and skills before hiring them
 Industry/Academia Lectures as part of industry/ academia cooperation
7. Did you benefit from the Graduates Employment Program (GEP): “The Ministry of
Information and Communications Technology (MoICT) in cooperation with the Ministry
of Labor and the ICT sector associations initiative; as a 12-month employment program
whereby the Government provides a subsidy of 50% of fresh graduate’s employee’s
salary during the 12 months of employment? Yes/No
If yes, please rate your experience benefiting from that program
(1-Excellent - 5-Bad) If no, please explain why?
8. Are you offering placements/ internships for graduates in your company? Yes/NO
9. Are you offering summer training to students before their actual graduation? Yes/No
If yes, please list which specific universities?
10. Did you employ new graduates in your organization in the last 3 years? Yes/No
University Name Total Number
of new
employees
Total Number
of ICT
employees
Main fields they’re
specialized in
Drop down list:
The University of Jordan
Yarmouk University
Mu'tah University
Jordan University of Science &
Technology
The Hashemite University
AL al-Bayt University
AL-Balqa Applied University
AL-Hussein Bin Talal University
Tafila Technical University
German-Jordanian University
Amman Arab University
Middle East University
Jadara University
Al - Ahliyya Amman University
Applied Science University (Private)
Philadelphia University
Isra University
University of Petra
Al-Zaytoonah University of Jordan

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Zarqa University
Irbid National University
Jarash University
Princess Sumaya University for
Technology
American Jordanian
University
Ajloun National Private University
University of Banking & Financial
Sciences
New York institute of technology
World Islamic Sciences & Education
WISE
Arab Open University
Drop down list:
 Computer Engineering
 Telecom Engineering
 Software Engineering
 Information Technology
 Computer Information Systems
 Computer Management Systems
 Computer Network Management
 Computer Science
 Computer Programming
 Business Information Systems
 Management Information Systems
 Accounting Management Systems
 Electronic Engineering
 Business Management
 Accounting
 Finance
 Marketing
 Public Administration
 Economics

Jordan 2012
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Summary of HR Challenges and Recommendations
Building on the report sections above, a summary of challenges and recommendations have
been compiled to provide a guideline for bridging the gap between universities and private
sector.
Summary & Challenges:
 75% of ICT employers believe there are overall problems in finding well educated
resources in the labor market.
 74% of Companies think fresh graduates who apply at their organization are deficient in
many skills.
 Lack of ICT human resources at the right quantity and quality:
– Computer Information System and Computer Science graduates are the most
difficult to find and very important to most ICT companies.
– Software engineering graduates are indicated important to most ICT companies.
– Accounting Information Systems graduates are easy to find and not important
to most ICT companies.
– Electronic Engineering and Telecom Engineering graduates are indicated
relatively not important to most companies yet hold relatively high numbers of
graduates in 2013
 The importance of technical experience is noted more than non- technical experience:
– 75 % of ICT companies are sending their staff for technical training
– 46% of ICT companies are sending their staff for non-technical training
 Lack of the following soft skills; English Language skills being the most required:
1. English language skills
2. Non-technical writing skills and creative thinking skills
3. Problem solving, and planning skills
4. People & change management, sales and marketing analysis and techniques
5. Communication skills, presentation skills, and time management

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 Lack of support programs and skills:
1. Business and management skills
2. Project management
3. PR and communications
4. Human resources management
5. Technical writing
 Lack of the following technical skills; PHP, Telecom protocols, and Database design &
administration skills being the most required:
1. PHP, telecom protocols, and database design & administration
2. MS SQL server, DB2, Systems analysis, Network administrator, Network
implementation, System administrator –UNIX/ Linux, ASP, Database Oracle and
Oracle e-business
 Low adoption of international academic accreditations standards, and following best
practices
Recommendations:
 Jordanian Universities should seek to acquire international accreditation
 Establish specialized training centers and specialized training courses in universities
 Integrate soft skills in delivering the different programs; ICT graduates need more non-
technical skills development courses from Universities in the following areas:
– Sales and marketing
– Business ethics & entrepreneurship
– PR and communications
– Business and management skills
– Languages (Mainly English)
– Soft and interpersonal skills
– Career advisory

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Page 51
– Employee preparation (CV writing, interview expectations) sessions
 Develop students awareness on up to date technologies and industry certifications
 Revise and monitor number of students registering at Universities in certain majors that
are of least demand by private sector companies for employment
 Increasing students acceptance rates for universities’ admission in any information
technology and communications related major, to ensure better quality of graduates
 Promote and increase cooperation between universities and the ICT Industry
– Universities to provide an ICT Graduates Talent Disclosure, where Universities
profile and introduce top ICT graduates to the market
– Universities to maintain tracking records to monitor and record employability of
graduates
– Enhance students enterprise thinking through providing real life case studies
with private sector companies
 Develop dynamic curricula to fit the industry needs, and inject private sector led courses
in universities.
 Integrate research on ICT trends and new technologies through joint programs between
academia and private sector.
 Focus on academic staff quality and competency.

Jordan ICT Sector Competencies Skills and Needs Assessment 2012

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