Jordan development administration training IV project

training to mid- and upper-level managers in Jordan"s public and private sectors. The evaluation covers the period 8/86-6/92. The project has made satisfactory progress toward its target of training 800 persons. To date, training has been provided to 621 participants, of whom 83 (all from the public sector) have received long-term training and 538 (from both the public and private sectors) short-term training. Of the overall total, 16% (98) were female, and 84% (523) were male. The return rate has been 100%, and all but one have returned to their previous positions or been given more responsibilities in their original organization. There is solid evidence of the project"s functional and cultural impact on Jordan"s economy and society, particularly on private sector growth. Nonetheless, the lack of skilled individuals in areas such as financial analysis and computer systems remains a major constraint for both the public and private sectors. While public sector academic training has been very helpful, aggressive outreach is needed to generate more private sector interest in project training. The requirement for 50% cost-sharing by employers of short-term participants is a major hurdle, and may be a factor in lessening interest on the part of small and medium firms. Action decisions are, inter alia: (1) accelerate an outreach campaign aimed at small and medium-size firms; (2) increase emphasis on short-term training in areas of importance to private sector development and USAID"s strategic objectives; (3) develop an in-country training component; (4) ensure that training programs include management skills upgrading. Two recommendations of the evaluators -- to perform a training needs assessment and to modify English language testing requirements using "less obtrusive" techniques -- were specifically rejected. The Mission also notes that the Executive Summary of the attached evaluation contains omissions which may mislead or confuse the reader; these were corrected in the ES.