Egypt is reshaping relations between education and the labour market, as educational authorities move to align university programmes with labour market needs.
The Supreme Universities’ Council, the Ministry of Higher Education body that regulates the work of the nation’s universities, approved this week the formation of a high-level committee to implement President Abdel Fattah El Sisi’s proposal for reviewing university majors that are no longer needed in today’s labour market.
Among other missions, the new panel will be tasked with identifying out-dated university majors and proposing new frameworks that suit current economic realities.
The panel is expected to finalise its work within three months, potentially paving the way for a major shift in how universities design programmes, and how employers define qualifications.
From degrees to skills
At the heart of the reform lies a simple but transformative idea: jobs should be defined by skills, not by rigid academic labels.
For decades in the past, specialists said, employment depended on very specific academic degrees.
“This happened even when jobs did not require such narrow qualifications,” Tamer Shawky, a professor of education psychology at Ain Shams University, told The Egyptian Gazette.
“This contributed to the presence of a clear mismatch between the educational records of university graduates and labour market needs,” he added.
Professor Shawky argued that traditional educational models are becoming increasingly out-dated.
In today’s economy, he said, competencies, such as digital literacy, problem-solving, teamwork, and adaptability are often more valuable than university majors.
Removing unnecessary academic requirements, he added, could widen access to employment and push universities to rethink how programmes are structured and delivered.
The reforms advocated by the Egyptian leader come against the backdrop of a longstanding imbalance.
Each year, thousands of graduates enter fields where jobs are limited, creating a surplus of degree holders who struggle to find relevant work.
This disconnect has fuelled frustration among young people and raised concerns among policymakers about the efficiency of the education system.
What matters, experts say, is not the value of university disciplines, but the scale at which they are offered relative to market demand.
Assem Hegazy, another professor of education psychology at Cairo University, pointed to what he described as a “clear saturation” in several theoretical fields.
“Large numbers of graduates enter a labour market that cannot absorb them each year,” professor Hegazy told this newspaper.
“This has raised unemployment and widened the gap between graduates’ skills and employers’ expectations,” he added.
Addressing this imbalance, professor Hegazy said, requires a strategic shift towards disciplines that equip students with practical, in-demand capabilities, particularly in technology and interdisciplinary fields.
Universities under review
The newly formed panel will consult extensively with employers, labour market specialists, and academic institutions to determine which job specifications should be revised or removed.
Its mandate will go beyond simply cutting out-dated requirements and include the exploration of new academic programmes, especially in advanced technologies and interdisciplinary fields, while recommending the restructuring or merging of specialisations that no longer meet labour market needs.
Equally important is the push to strengthen partnerships between universities and the industrial sector.
Plans are being developed to expand practical training opportunities for students through internships, applied projects, and closer collaboration with the private sector.
For many experts, the initiative represents a long-awaited opportunity to move from discussion to action.
“We have been calling for linking education more closely to employment trends for a long time now,” Hassan Shehata, a professor of curricula at Ain Shams University, told The Gazette.
“This initiative creates a real chance to translate those ideas into concrete policies,” he added.
Professor Shehata believes universities may soon adopt more flexible learning models that allow students to combine disciplines and acquire a broader range of skills suited to emerging industries.
He highlighted the potential for more inclusive hiring practices.
“In many countries, employers are shifting toward skills-based recruitment, evaluating what candidates can do rather than what degrees they hold,” professor Shehata said.
Opening doors
For young graduates, the reform could ease long-standing barriers to employment.
Strict eligibility criteria have often excluded capable candidates who possess relevant skills but lack a specific academic credential.
“By removing out-dated requirements, recruitment processes could become more merit-based and accessible, offering wider opportunities for youth entering the job market,” Mohamed Ali, a final-year engineering student at Ain Shams University, said.
The shift may also encourage lifelong learning, as professionals continuously upgrade their skills in response to changing market demands, he told this newspaper.
