Technical & Vocational Education and Training Programme Phase II Closing Ceremony

Ambassador Christian Berger, Head of the EU Delegation to Egypt

Dear Minister Rania ElMashat,

Dear partners and stakeholders,

Dear Egyptian youth,

Ladies and Gentlemen,

We are here today to celebrate the closing of a very challenging and ambitious programme.

My first words of appreciation go to the key stakeholders, which have demonstrated a strong commitment and critical leadership in what is a significant national reform of the Technical & Vocational Education and Training system: in particular, the Ministries of Trade and Industry, Education and Technical Education, Tourism, and many others.  And of course the Federations and the private sector for helping to define the needs and ultimately offering employment to the young people.

The programme has been designed to address the main challenges the TVET sector is facing, such as: the governance system to address the fragmentation in the sector; the quality and relevance of the curricula; the transition from education to employment, with a particular emphasis on key economic sectors such as tourism, given the importance of this sector in the Egyptian economy and labour market.

The objective was to increase the employability of young people and improve the productivity in line with Egypt’s vision 2030.  This is what the programme has delivered: it has fully institutionalised the implementation of competence-based curricula; it has involved the private sector in the whole cycle of skills policy; it has improved the reputation of technical education, which shows a higher degree of employability and leads to a better income, as a whole which is a very positive achievement.

The EU and Egypt share similar challenges and objectives: our respective economies are changing. They are in recovery mode and the green and digital transitions are opening up challenges and mainly opportunities.  

Skills are not always adapted quickly enough.  Currently more than 3/4 of companies in the EU report difficulties in finding workers with the necessary skills, particularly in new technological areas, such as renewable energy installations for households. 

So having the relevant skills empowers people to successfully navigate labour market changes and to fully engage in society. It builds a better future, is more sustainable, more inclusive for a more rewarding life.

This is why the European Union has marked this year 2022, to be the year of Youth, and the year 2023, has been announced to be the European Year of Skills.

A workforce with skills that are in demand will contribute to the recovery, sustainable growth, and will lead to more innovation and improve companies' competitiveness.

This is why, with the European Year of Skills, in cooperation with the Member States, social partners, public and private employment services, chambers of commerce and industry, education and training providers, and workers and companies all together, the EU proposes to give a fresh impetus to skills and lifelong learning in 2023.

This will include attracting people, from third countries and particularly from our Mediterranean neighbours, people with the skills sought after, through offering learning opportunities, mobility and facilitating the recognition of qualifications. The EU is championing skills policies and skills investment globally.

In more than a decade we have developed a strong cooperation with Egypt in the field of Education and TVET: we have supported the national strategies through a number of major projects like the TVET I and TVET II programmes; twinning projects between European and Egyptian key TVET institutions; we currently have a blending operation with KfW establishing three Centres of Competence in the energy sector in close cooperation with the Ministry of Education and Technical Education; our member states have strong TVET programmes with a long tradition like in  Germany and Austria; Team Europe will continue to be active in the development of skills in line with the Sustainable Development Strategy, Egypt’s Vision 2030 and the education reform 2.0.

Today we close our TVET II Programme and set the way for the start of a new one.  We know we can count on continuous Government commitment and a strong political drive to ensure the highest level of attention to continue the implementation of the national TVET policy and strategy; and full coordination with the private sector to ensure the match of the supply and demand sides.

I would like to thank you all for being here today and to wish for a good conclusion of the conference setting the good basis for the next start.

Congratulations!