Ministers of Planning and Education inaugurate the 2nd phase of the International Schools of Applied Technology project

 H.E. Dr. Hala El-Said, Minister of Planning and Economic Development, and Dr. Reda Hegazy, Minister of Education recently witnessed the signing of five new agreements of understanding (MoUS)between the Ministry of Education and Technical Education and the Egypt Manpower Project funded by USAID and private sector companies.

The aforementioned agreements aim to establish five international applied technology schools in four governorates: Qalyubia, Menoufia, Qena, and Giza.

This came in the presence of Marguerite Sancho, Deputy Director of the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) in Egypt, Dr. Mohamed Megahed, Deputy Minister of Education for Technical Education Affairs, Dr. Sherine Hamdy, Advisor to the Minister for Administrative Development, and Supervisor of the Central Administration for the Affairs of the Minister’s Office, and Dr. Amr Busailah. Head of the Central Administration for Technical Education Development, Director of the Operation and Management Unit of Applied Technology Schools.

Moreover, the signing ceremony witnessed the presence of Dr. Muhammad Emara, Head of the Central Administration for Technical Education Schools, Dr. Ahmed El-Ashmawy, Member of the Advisory Council for the Development of Technical Education, Muhammad Muhammad Al-Khashin, Chairman of the Board of Directors of Evergrow for Specialized Fertilizers, and Dr. Ahmed Khalifa, Executive Director, and Managing Director of CFC Feed and Chemicals Company.

In her speech, Dr. Hala El-Said confirmed that the state is working in true partnership on the ground with the private sector, intending to arm Egyptian youth and society with the skills necessary for future jobs.

This sector (Private Sector) occupies 80% of the Egyptian workforce, so it is considered an essential partner in development, according to El-Said.

El-Said referred to the efforts of the Egyptian state to develop the educational process and the cooperation of all state institutions to improve the quality of the educational process, pointing to the national plan for structural reforms launched by the Egyptian state in 2020, as a continuation of the economic reform program that was launched in 2016.

She further explained that the national plan for structural reforms has five basic axes, including the axis of the efficiency of the Egyptian labor market, where through this axis work is done to reduce the gap between the outputs of the educational process and the requirements of the labor market, by working to increase the inter-disciplines such as regional planning, in addition to the traditional majors in Egyptian universities.

Dr. Hala El-Said added that the Ministry of Planning, in cooperation with the Egypt Workforce Project, is preparing the institutional framework for the Sectoral Skills Council, which will be fully led by the private sector, in addition to what the Ministry is doing through the Egyptian Authority for Quality Assurance and converting all curricula into a competencies system, which is in line with the State plan and projects to improve the quality of the educational process.

Dr. Hala El-Said highlighted the expansion of the involvement of the private sector in investment in the education sector, through coordination with The Sovereign Fund of Egypt (TSFE), where lands and unused state-owned assets are made available to the private sector, to benefit from them in building schools, which contributes to raising the competitiveness of the education sector.

El-Said referred to the Education Egypt platform, which was implemented through a strategic partnership with the private sector.

"A cooperation agreement was signed with one of the main developers of educational content in Egypt, to provide educational services to millions of Egyptian students, from kindergarten to secondary school, by benefiting from the current wide range of technological developments available globally," El-Said said.

El-Said concluded her speech by stressing that applied technology schools will have a major role in preparing graduates for the skills and specializations required in the labor market. In addition, they will develop graduates' skills to suit upcoming jobs in the future.

"They will also add that the labor market is dynamic and expanding very significantly," she stressed.

She stressed that such a type of school will have the flexibility and ability to keep pace with the labor market, noting that the Egyptian state aims to develop the Egyptian education sector and make it attractive to local and foreign investments, by mobilizing all the energies and resources available to develop the technical and vocational education system.

In his speech, Dr. Reda Hegazy, Minister of Education and Technical Education, expressed his pride in participating in this celebration, which represents one of the important events that express the extent of the Egyptian state's interest in technical education, that education for which an entire article has been allocated in the Egyptian constitution.

Hegazy asserted the Egyptian state's commitment to encouraging such programs and expanding them in a way that follows international quality standards.

The Minister of Education emphasized the President of the Republic's continuous support for education and technical education in particular. He also expressed his keenness to develop the technical education system in Egypt according to a participatory vision that faces reality's challenges and achieves future aspirations.

The Minister of Education stated that the technical education system aims to shift towards a better technical education that meets the needs of the labor market with the best international quality standards, through a sustainable approach, based on five axes: improving the quality of technical education, transforming school curricula into curricula based on competencies methodology and improving skills as well as qualifying teachers through training and qualification, and business owners' participation in developing technical education and changing the stereotype of technical education.

Dr. Reda Hegazy pointed out that applied technology schools are an essential model that embodies the success of that system in one entity, where business institutions and the private sector contribute as active participants in the management and operation of technical schools in new disciplines based on the methodology of competencies with the highest quality standards.

Dr. Reda Hegazy extended his thanks and gratitude to the Egyptian private sector, the engine of economic development. This sector does not spare the Egyptian state's effort, money, or experience in a sustainable partnership to operate and manage the second group of International Schools of Applied Technology in a distinguished partnership.

For her part, Dr. Rania Al-Mashat, Minister of International Cooperation, said, in a recorded speech broadcast during the ceremony, that these efforts come in light of the state's priorities to support technical education and provide qualified training.

Al-Mashat appreciated the results of the Egypt Workforce Project in its first phase, which contributed to the development of curricula in technical education schools, the establishment of an "Innovative Technician" competition, the spreading of the culture of innovation in technical education schools, and strengthening efforts to create job opportunities.

Marguerite Sancho, Deputy Director of the United States Agency for International Development (USAID), also expressed her happiness at announcing the signing of the five memorandums of understanding for the International Schools of Applied Technology, which is an important step towards further developing the technical education system in Egypt.

Sancho added that the International Schools of Applied Technology respond to employers' demands and labor market needs.

"They adhere to internationally recognized standards and provide job opportunities for Egyptian youth. Through the Egypt Workforce Project, they provide education and training to all students of the International Schools of Applied Technology," Sancho added.'

Dr. Amr Basila, Head of the Central Administration for the Development of Technical Education, and Director of the Applied Technology Schools Operation and Management Unit presented a presentation on the stages of the establishment of applied technology schools, and its vision of building skills to build a better future for our students who graduate from these schools.

Mohamed Fawzi, Deputy Director of the Egypt Workforce Project, said: “The partnership depends on the idea of the private sector, its requirements, the required technical specifications, and the maximization of resources."

He noted that the International Schools of Applied Technology are smart and digital schools that keep pace with technological developments. In addition, they are green schools. They are environmentally friendly and committed to sustainable development standards.

For his part, Major General Abu Bakr El-Gendy, Chairman of the Board of Trustees of the Mountain View Foundation for Development, stressed the importance of the cooperation protocol that was signed with the Ministry of Education and Technical Education and the Egypt Manpower Project funded by the United States Agency for International Development (USAID), which aims to establish the Mountain View International School of Applied Technology as of the beginning of the academic year 2023/2024, adding that this cooperation comes within the framework of the vision of the Mountain View Development Foundation, which was established by the Mountain View Real Estate Investment Company to be its community arm to develop technical labor skills through the latest systems that apply international standards to meet the needs of the labor market in terms of trained employees.

In a related context, Eng. Mohamed Farouk, Chairman of the Board of Directors of Mobica, stressed the importance of investing in the human element, pointing out that one of the industry’s problems is finding qualified technical cadres to operate investments and based on political trends to develop technical education and the effective initiative of the Egypt Workforce Project.

Mobica Company decided to participate in this national project because it believes in the role of the private sector in economic and social development that benefits the community.

He added that Mobica International School of Applied Technology would work to direct human energies and cadres to real job opportunities guaranteed by industrial companies. This is in the field of school specialization represented in robotics and CNC machines.

During the ceremony, 5 MoUs were signed to launch 5 international schools of applied technology, namely Evergro International School of Applied Technology, which specializes in operating and maintaining advanced heavy industry equipment, in Qalyubia Governorate, CFC International School of Applied Technology, specializing in operating and maintaining advanced heavy industry equipment, in Qena Governorate, and Mobica International School of Applied Technology, specialized in the operation of CFC machines and robots, in Giza Governorate, Eva International School of Applied Technology, specialized in the fields of operation and maintenance of pharmaceutical and food industry equipment, and software development in Giza Governorate, and Mountain View International School of Applied Technology, specialized in facility management technology, in Qalyubia Governorate.