“My dream was to become a professional chef, so I went to Aqaba to work in a hotel. Unfortunately, I did not find any vacancies, and since I did not have the experience to work in the kitchen, I had to work in room service and cleaning. After one month, the first wave of the COVID-19 pandemic hit. The hotel was closed, and I was let go. I tried hard during the pandemic to work in other hotels, but the increased number of COVID-19 cases in Jordan made it difficult for anyone to find a job. Therefore, I decided to re-study for my high school exams, but deep inside, I still dreamt of being a distinguished chef.”
The pandemic presented numerous challenges, but Malek overcame these through the skills development training provided by Qudra 2 and the local partner EFE-Jordan.
Malek continues: “A friend told me that the Qudra 2 programme provides theoretical and practical dough maker training at the Ammon Applied University College, followed by actual training in a restaurant. I felt that it is still possible to make my dream come true, so I applied to join the training. And today I have mastered making ten types of bread and many different types of pastries. I also learned about many new electrical tools and how to handle them, such as mixers, coffee makers, etc. I was also introduced to new kinds of bread that I was not familiar with before, such as gluten-free bread. Now I see that my dream is just around the corner. I finished the two-month training course at Ammon College, and I started my actual training in Beijing, a Chinese restaurant in Amman, where we make two types of bread, one from potatoes. This was the first time I made bread from potatoes, and my supervisor at work noticed my enthusiasm, so he encouraged me to learn more and started to teach me how to make Chinese food. I believe that my training in a well-known restaurant will enrich my resume and help me find a good job when the training period ends”.