The Ministry of Labour will start teaching the German language to more than 1,300 male and female engineers as part of the latter's preparation programme for their employment in Germany.

Minister of Labour Nidal Batayneh said that the first batch of this programme will include 5,000 beneficiaries from four different associations.

In addition to engineers, the ministry is set to include drivers, craftspersons and professionals in various sectors.

Ministry of Labour Spokesperson Mohammad Zyoud told The Jordan Times that "some professional associations have started teaching their members German as of today to market their competencies and make way for their employment in several private sectors specified by the German Employment Agency.

The teaching period lasts approximately nine months, according to Zyoud, and a delegation from the German Employment Agency will visit the Kingdom next October or November.

Batayneh pointed out that the first association to teach its employees the German language was the Jordanian Engineers Association, and more than 1,300 engineers started their language lessons on Thursday.

"There is ample unemployment in the Kingdom’s engineering sector, so this is our attempt to reduce unemployment among our youth as well as strengthen our partnership with Germany,” said the minister.

Batayneh said that the overall target number of the programme is 5,000 beneficiaries from four different professional associations to be employed by the German Employment Agency.

Zyoud said that this programme was agreed upon after the minister visited Germany a few months ago to "market Jordanian talent, especially given that Germany amended its immigration law to allow the work of non-German workers in the private sector.”

He added: "These are great job opportunities for the Jordanian youth to work in Germany and to help them gain practical experiences in one of the largest developed economies in the world.”