By: Mohamed Zein Eddin
Minister of Education and Technical Education Reda Hegazy and Minister of Labour Hassan Shehata witnessed on Tuesday the signing of five co-operation protocols and agreements with the Federation of Egyptian Industries (FEI) to launch five schools of applied technology across the country.
Hegazy said his ministry is seeking to develop the technical education and vocational training system in order to improve the calibre of graduates to keep pace with international standards and meet the needs of the labour market in terms of professions and new specialisations.
This will increase the chances of securing employment for graduates of technical schools and strengthen its role in meeting the needs of the job market for the sake of economic and social development.
The minister added that applied technology schools have changed the image of technical education in Egypt, pointing out that some countries have asked for help from graduates to work outside Egypt.
For his part, Shehata said his ministry is seeking to improve the skills of technical students, in co-operation with the Ministry of Education and the Federation of Egyptian Industries.
Shehata spoke of the importance of training students in industrial schools to qualify for regional and global labour markets.
FEI chairman Mohamed el-Sewedy said the protocols are a continuation of successful co-operation between the Ministry of Education and the federation, noting that applied technological schools are asset to alter society’s mindset regarding technical education.
El-Sewedy referred to efforts between the Ministry of Education, the Federation of Egyptian Industries and the National Initiative for Industry Development (Ibdaa), to qualify technical workers for local and foreign labour markets, adding that the federation of Egyptian Banks is the official sponsor of these schools.