Jordan - BTEC national implementation -

Case Study

Jordan – BTEC national implementation

Summary

In May 2023, Pearson partnered with the Jordanian Ministry of Education to support the reform of the country’s TVET system. This transformative initiative introduced BTEC qualifications into the national curriculum, supporting Jordan’s Economic Vision 2033 and helping to meet the country’s labour market needs and tackle youth unemployment.

BTEC is now delivered in more than 330 state schools across the country in 14 sectors. By 2025 there were 48,000 learners studying a BTEC programme, with the most popular being:

IT
Engineering
Business

To date, Pearson has collaborated with the Ministry of Education to train more than 2000 teachers from 331 state schools to deliver BTEC programmes.

In 2026, this partnership was extended for another 5 years.

Pearson

Federation of Awarding bodies (FAB)

Jordan, Middle East

Policy Development, Employer Engagement, Curriculum Design, Quality Assurance, Qualifications, Assessment and Certification, Training Provision

BTEC courses are high quality, hands-on qualifications grounded in the real world of work. Students choose specialisations then learn by doing, developing valuable skills that can help them become them highly employable in that particular industry.

Pearson’s qualifications are built on the British educational system and accepted by universities worldwide. They offer learners across Asia the opportunity for progress, to achieve their learning and career goals, at home and abroad.

Contact Pearson if you are interested in implementing BTECs

Challenge

The partnership was formed to address the country’s technical skills gap.

By integrating BTEC qualifications into the national curriculum and delivering them in Arabic, learners get hands-on experiences to prepare them for both employment and higher education.

Developed alongside educators, employers, and government bodies, BTEC qualifications align with workforce demands, ensuring that learners gain industry-relevant skills. Over the multi-year programme, the TVET curriculum will meet Jordan’s economic and workforce needs.

Pearson BTEC in Jordan - UK Skills Partnership

Solution

As part of this initiative, Pearson has developed Arabic-language versions of its BTEC qualifications at Level 2 (one-year) and Level 3 (two-year) across 14 sectors:

Agriculture
Art and Design
Business
Construction
Creative Media
Early Years
Engineering
Esports
Hair and Beauty
Health and Social Care
Hospitality
IT
Sport
Travel and Tourism

Pearson has provided comprehensive training for Jordanian vocational teachers to ensure effective delivery across these programmes.

This training, which is now all delivered face to face using local Arabic speaking resources where possible, covered key areas such as teaching and assessing BTEC qualifications, holistic assessment planning, assignment writing, Pearson’s principles of quality assurance, internal verification, and standardisation. Once the workforce began teaching the curriculum, participants expanded their expertise through the Pearson BTEC Teacher Educator Programme.

Successful students will receive a globally recognised BTEC certificate, accepted by universities in the UK, US, Australia, Canada, and MENAT regions. By developing vocational, transferable and entrepreneurial skills, these students have clear progression routes to both local and global higher education, careers and business opportunities.

The results from the first 2 years are extremely positive. The first 2 years of the partnership saw 35,336 learners enrolled in BTEC Level 2 Diplomas, with an 84% achievement rate. In summer 2026, 14,559 learners are due to complete their BTEC Level 3 Diplomas – we are excited to celebrate their results after they achieved a 90% pass rate in their first year of study.

Key partners and partnerships have been crucial to the success of this project. Throughout, Pearson has engaged with a wide range of stakeholders in Jordan to understand the needs of industry and higher education, and how they can support this initiative.

Pearson has invested in a dedicated resource in Jordan who is responsible for engaging with industry to increase the BTEC awareness and recognition of employers.

Pearson has directly engaged with more than 150 employers across the 14 sectors whilst building key relationships with industry chambers, sector skills councils and governmental bodies.

Pearson is very excited by the extension of the partnership. The Ministry has expressed an ambition to reach 100,000 active learners. This will be through the opening of new vocational schools, expanding programmes and cohorts in existing schools, and the introduction of further sectors such as Music, Robotics and Aviation.

“The expansion of partnership through the renewal of our agreement with Pearson for another five years reflects our strategic commitment to strengthening Technical and Vocational Education and Training in Jordan, ensuring high-quality outcomes that contribute to our Economic Modernization Vision. This achievement coincides with the preparations undertaken to celebrate the graduation of the first batch of Jordan’s Level 3 BTEC students. This continued cooperation contributes significantly to bridge the skills gap between educational outcomes and the evolving needs of the local labour market, through effective alignment of curricula and competencies with workplace requirements. On behalf of Jordan’s Government, the Ministry of Education highly values this partnership with Pearson and considers it an example of fruitful international cooperation.”
Dr. Azmi Mahafza, Minister of Education for Jordan

“This five-year extension reflects the strength of our partnership with the Jordanian Ministry of Education and our shared commitment to expanding opportunity for learners in Jordan. By broadening access to high-quality vocational qualifications and continued teacher development, we are helping more young people build the skills, confidence and recognised pathways they need to progress into further study and future careers.”

Jane Baker, Pearson’s Vice President of Enterprise Learning & Skills