Technical education is going international: The Education Ministry is working to enhance the standards of Egypt’s technical and vocational education system through international partnerships — especially Italy and Japan. The ministry aims to convert some 1.3k existing technical schools into international institutions.

Italy is stepping up: Some 50 Italian companies expressed interest in investing in Egypt’s education sector during a visit to Cairo last February. The visit saw both sides agree to explore the establishment of Italian-curriculum technical schools focused on the Italian language and practical training in industries such as automotive manufacturing, hospitality, finance, and IT – all aimed at preparing students for the global job market, especially to join Italian companies operating abroad.

REMEMBER- Egypt and Italy inked several agreements last year for cooperation on technical and vocational education, hospitality training programs, as well as SME support. Meanwhile, a government source recently told us that the government is still pursuing further collaborations with Italy among other countries to improve education in Egypt.

The bigger picture: Technical education is part of a broader strategy to align learning outcomes with labor market needs, a government source told EnterpriseAM, adding that the ministry is holding talks with the private industrial sector to support the establishment of specialized international technical schools and repurpose existing school buildings with private sector involvement, using international curricula and practices to boost demand for technical education in Egypt.

Japan and Germany are no strangers to Egypt’s tech education: Japan is already a long-time partner in Egypt’s technical education, and Germany has been providing curriculum support through its competency-based learning model — which is now being applied in 85% of Egypt’s German-acceredited vocational schools.

More vocational schools in the works: The Education Ministry wants to open nine new vocational schools in partnership with Egyptian business leaders, the source told us. The goal is to replicate successful models while allowing the private sector to play a bigger role in both funding and curriculum development.

Curriculum updates are also underway: The ministry has approved 100 new curricula for applied tech schools and is working on another 20 focused on fields including AI, automation, and other emerging technologies.

What’s next? The government wants to raise the number of applied tech schools to 420 by 2030 to accommodate some 130k students by the end of the decade, up from 40k students enrolled during the 2024-2025 academic year.

Private sector demand is on the rise: There is growing interest among private players in offering services through tuition-based schools. Demand for technical education now accounts for over 50% of preparatory school graduates, the source said. The ultimate goal is to establish economic entities that link education with the manufacturing sectors through internationally accredited curricula.

Egypt is stepping up its game: The government has allocated EGP 1 tn for education in the FY 2025-26 draft budget, with EGP 684.8 bn for pre-university education and EGP 358.3 bn for higher education.

We’re doing something right: The country is climbing up the ranks, with its ranking in the Global Knowledge Index’ technical and vocational education and education sub-index rising to 43rd place, up from 46th in 2022, and 113th in 2013.

Why does this matter? There is a shortage of skilled labor in Egypt, which is why integrating technical education into the country’s industrial development strategy is significant, curriculum and methods of teaching professor at Ain Shams University Hassan Shehata told EnterpriseAM. This shift is helping change perceptions of technical education, making it a more attractive option across the governorates by creating pathways to university and promising job prospects. Opening the sector to international players will accelerate the implementation of Egypt’s youth training goals and expansion of global partnerships.

Cost-related factors remain a hurdle: A major obstacle for private investment is the relatively high cost per student, especially due to the hands-on nature of technical education and rising material costs, a representative from an applied technology school told EnterpriseAM. Students must attend in person and require access to specialized equipment and machinery, raising the cost significantly. The average cost per student in advanced technical education is now EGP 30k, up from EGP 18k. To address this, the government is offering various partnership models to encourage private sector participation.

More expansion plans in the pipeline: The government has plans to build 536 new classrooms for technical education, renovate 902 existing classrooms, upgrade 126 technical schools, and establish 10 new applied technology schools.

Your top education story for the week: The Oil Ministry, Methanex Egypt, and AUC are partnering to launch Egypt’s first Process Safety Management diploma, aimed at upskilling workers in the oil, gas, and petrochemical sectors.

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