Technical and vocational education and training (TVET) in Egypt is delivered formally and informally, through private and government institutions. The public system is administered by a multitude of government agencies.

These agencies work independently, although in recent times the government has sought to bring about more coordination and to bring more cohesion to TVET policies. It has established a Supreme Council on Human Resource Development (SCHRD), a tripartite body chaired by the Minister of Manpower and Emigration.

The technical education sector includes more than 646,000 students, exceeding the number in secondary education by 150%, which accounted for 430,000 students in 2008/2009.

Background to TVET

Entry-level TVET is provided through Egypt’s two education ministries:

			The Ministry of Education (MoE) administers about 1,600 technical and vocational schools
			The Ministry of Higher Education (MoHE) administers 47 Middle Technical Institutes (MTIs).

The technical education sector is comprised of Technical and Commercial Secondary Schools that offer a Technical Diploma for three-year courses, and a Technical Diploma (First Technician) for two-year courses.

The vocational education sector is comprised of Preparatory Schools offering a Preparatory Vocational Certificate, and by Secondary Vocational Schools offering a Secondary Vocational Certificate. Students in preparatory schools are usually in their early teens, while those in Secondary Vocational Schools and Technical Secondary Schools are aged 15 to 18 years.

Qualifications on offer include:

			A High Technical Diploma lasting two years for industrial and commercial fields
			A four-year Bachelor of Technology course that trains technical teachers for technical secondary school
			A High Technical Diploma lasting two to five years which prepares students for employment in specific industry sectors.

Although MTI qualifications are intended to reflect a higher level of skills, many students and employers regard these skills as more suitable for workers in skilled occupations than for technicians.

Students going into TVET education

The flow of students between institutions and sectors has largely been governed by a system of streaming.

Limiting entry to general education meant that more students had to be directed towards the technical and vocational stream. Technical and vocational schools have almost twice as many students as general education institutions, and many people leave this type of education to enter the labour market directly, more often than not without completing their courses.

Even those who do complete their courses have high unemployment rates, competing less successfully against an increasing number of university graduates for the same type of work, as well as against semi-skilled workers who have received training on the job.

Issues for reform:

The key issue for the reform of TVET has been overcoming the absence of properly skilled workers. Overall, government policies have had the result of greatly enhancing the opportunities for general school students to undertake further studies, while the opportunities for technical school students have been limited. University students (with some one million or more enrolments) now outnumber MTI students by almost ten to one.

Poor employment outcomes for technical and vocational students, coupled with the higher unit cost of the sector, have led the government to reconsider the policy of streaming. Eight regional Technology Colleges are expected to reform their curricula and the structure of the qualifications they offer and eventually establish a more clearly defined polytechnic sector.

The TVET Reform Programme

The TVET System Reform Programme is a joint intervention by the European Commission and the government. It aims to address the significant shortage of skilled labour in Egypt and its resulting impact upon the competitiveness of Egyptian enterprises in domestic and international markets.

By linking private sector businesses to public sector education and training service providers in public-private partnerships, the programme works to bridge the gap between human resource needs and educational outcomes. The programme also supports the development of institutional capacity for the formulation and implementation of a national TVET reform policy. In order to accomplish its mission, the TVET Reform Programme adopts a decentralised, demand-driven, participatory approach to its interventions at all levels.

There has also been investment in vocational training by the private sector and various international organisations, such as the European Union, USAID and others, to improve nationals’ skills levels, tackle unemployment and boost development in Egypt.

Technology Colleges in Cairo

On another front, the Ministry of Higher Education has established eight technology colleges in Cairo, Helwan, Quisna, El Mahala El Kobra, Alexandria, Port Said, Bany Sowaif, and Qina. Each college consists of various institutes: Industrial, Commercial, Hotels and Tourism, Optical, Journalism, Construction, Agriculture, Maritime, Archaeology and Social Services.

A designated project management unit for Higher Education Enhancement has been established to develop the administrative structure of all the Higher Technical Institutes to be under the remit of the eight main Technology Colleges in Egypt as well as develop the performance of the institutes in aspects such as curriculum, labs, workshops and training programmes.

The unit also focuses on improving graduates’ skills by supporting them with adequate and proper training according to market needs, as well as introducing new training and teaching channels e.g. distance learning and continuous education, to improve teachers’ and administrative staff’s skills.