New Egyptian-German College - lighthouse project in the field of vocational training

The labour market in Egypt is out of balance: on the one hand, many vacancies in the manufacturing and service sectors cannot be filled, while on the other hand there is an alarmingly high number of young men and women looking for work. Every year, 850,000 young people enter the labour market, but only a quarter of them find a job. Most of them end up unemployed or in casual jobs. There are structural reasons for this labour market misery. The training courses offered to date do not meet the current requirements of the Egyptian labour market. Vocational training is often impractical and too theoretical.

The 'Egyptian-German College for Technology' has now been officially opened in Assiut. KfW Development Bank has been involved in the education sector for many years and has supported the planning and implementation since 2014. To this end, the Egyptian Education Development Fund and the Baden-Württemberg Ministry of Education and Cultural Affairs have entered into a partnership. With the transfer of expertise from southern Germany, market-oriented technical training programmes are to be offered in Assiut. The curricula and the selection of training programmes will be tailored to the needs of industrial companies in the region. For students and trainees with different qualifications, modern, needs-oriented training courses have been created in three specialisations: Mechanics, Electrics and Information Technology (IT.) Special attention is paid to the areas of quality management, teacher training and further training as well as the advancement of women.

The campus, with its well-equipped workshops and modern classrooms, demonstrates the endeavours to offer high-quality technical education in Upper Egypt. A sustainable approach to energy supply has also been adopted and solar panels have been installed.

The college combines several educational institutions: a Technological Secondary School, an Advanced Technological College with a Bachelor's degree and a Vocational Training Centre, which is still under construction.

Around 700 students, pupils and trainees are currently enrolled each school year. 'All of them, as well as the lecturers and teachers, are delighted with the beautiful buildings and the generous facilities. And they are optimistic that they will find a suitable job after graduating,' says Adham Khattaby, Senior Portfolio Coordinator responsible for the project in the Cairo office.