(MENAFN - Jordan Times) The Jordan Engineers Association (JEA) on Sunday called on universities to suspend studies in IT, chemical and nuclear engineering, as well as mechatronics, claiming that there are more specialists in these fields than the market can employ.
In a statement to the press, JEA President Abdullah Obeidat said the number of association members exceeded 100,000 of both genders, in addition to 35,000 currently studying engineering in local universities and 10,000 studying abroad.
"This profession has become oversaturated with professionals," Obeidat said, adding that specialists in some engineering fields are already unable to find work.
Tawjihi graduates pursuing higher education should choose specialties that are in demand in the local market, he advised, noting that over 14 per cent of degrees granted by the Kingdom's universities are in engineering.
Obeidat also commended a recent decision by the Royal Court to amend the Royal makruma for university students so as to cease allocating seats for Tawjihi graduates according to quotas and instead provide scholarships to students accepted in public universities by the Unified Admissions Committee,
A total of 1,420 scholarships will be awarded starting in the second semester of the coming 2012-13 school year.
"This is a wise decision and it will enforce transparency and competitiveness. It should encourage all parties to adopt the same system of allocating scholarships based on equal opportunity," Obeidat said.
Pointing to the high expenses of studying engineering, Obeidat urged parents to avoid pushing their children into specialties that are not in demand, noting that the overflow in the number of engineers has made the profession lose its added value.
The JEA is currently preparing brochures about professions that meet market needs, and plans to carry out seminars and workshops across the Kingdom to help recent graduates choose specialities that can secure them jobs.
