Siemens joins forces with German Development Cooperation to support vocational education and training in Egypt    _{Siemens joins forces with German Development Cooperation to support vocational education and training in Egypt}

Advancing their efforts to support Egypt’s vocational education and training, Siemens and the German Development Cooperation have announced a joint commitment to develop Zein Al Abedin Technical School in Cairo, based on the German dual education model. Studies show that there is a strong correlation between the proportion of vocational and technical education in a country and building a sustainable, diversified economy.

The initiative involves equipping the school with a set of technological and learning solutions; developing the curriculum; providing teacher training as well as driving transformation for an enhanced learning experience that prepares students for the future. 

The announcement was made during a visit to the school, which was attended by education and business leaders, including Dr. Tarek Shawki, Minister of Education and Technical Education; Dr. Ahmed El Geyoushi, Deputy Minister of Education; Dr. Andreas Kuck, country director of the GIZ alongside  Emad Ghaly, CEO of Siemens Egypt. The delegation was able to tour the school and meet with students. 

As Egypt continues to work towards achieving economic diversification, vocational education and training are especially needed to bridge the skills gap in the market. 

Speaking about the impact of this collaboration, Ghaly said, “Today’s industrial sectors are undergoing rapid change. Manufacturing systems are becoming increasingly complex and digitalized and these systems require qualified highly-skilled individuals. Our joint initiative with German Development Cooperation is designed to ensure that teachers and students have the tools, resources and expertise to maximize technology’s potential and improve learning outcomes.”

Lars Fiechel, responsible for the activities related to the enhancement of the Egyptian dual system within German development cooperation, added, “This partnership underscores the long-term commitment of Germany to support the efforts of the Ministry of Education and the Egyptian private sector towards youth empowerment.” 

The German dual education system combines theoretical, practical and on-the-job learning across a wide range of technical fields. Problem solving, collaboration and digital literacy are among the top focus areas to prepare the youth for the digital future. 

This commitment is part of the company’s ongoing support of technical education and training in Egypt to develop the next generation of innovators. Globally, Siemens is considered one of the largest providers of dual education programs. 

Siemens AG (Berlin and Munich) is a global technology powerhouse that has stood for engineering excellence, innovation, quality, reliability and internationality for more than 165 years. The company is active in more than 200 countries, focusing on the areas of electrification, automation and digitalization. One of the world’s largest producers of energy-efficient, resource-saving technologies, Siemens is a leading supplier of efficient power generation and power transmission solutions and a pioneer in infrastructure solutions as well as automation, drive and software solutions for industry. The company is also a leading provider of medical imaging equipment – such as computed tomography and magnetic resonance imaging systems – and a leader in laboratory diagnostics as well as clinical IT. In fiscal 2016, which ended on September 30, 2016, Siemens generated revenue of €79.6 billion and net income of €5.6 billion. At the end of September 2016, the company had around 351,000 employees worldwide. Further information is available on the Internet at www.siemens.com.