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


Page 3

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 Database Programming and 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 Database Programming and 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 Networking, Infrastructure, and 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 Networking, Infrastructure, and 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 System Administration & 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 System Administration & 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

1. The University of Jordan 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 24. Yarmouk 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


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

The three Universities that ranked above average are The University of Jordan, Jordan 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)

The three Universities that ranked above average are The University of Jordan, Jordan 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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Top Five Universities According to Company Hiring Preferences

1. The University of Jordan

2. Jordan University of Science & Technology

3. Princess Sumaya University for Technology

4. The Hashemite University

5. Yarmouk University

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:










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:

1. The University of Jordan 2. AL-Balqa Applied University 3. The Hashemite University 4. Yarmouk University 5. Jordan University of Science & Technology

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


Page 45

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


Page 46

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 ...)


Page 47

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

http://www.jadara.edu.jo/


Page 48

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

http://www.anpu.edu.jo/

http://www.ubfs.edu.jo/

http://www.ubfs.edu.jo/


Page 49

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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– 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.