Cairo, October 20, 2020 - Elsewedy Technical Academy (STA) celebrated the graduation of a batch of 220 students, and honored the top students, in the presence of Dr. Nevine El-Kabbaj, Minister of Social Solidarity, and Dr. Mohamed Megahed, Deputy Minister of Education for Technical Education, and also in the presence of Dr. Mamdouh Ghorab Governor of Al Sharqia and HE Laura Kansikas-Debraise, the Ambassador of Finland in Cairo.

During a ceremony held for the graduation of a batch of students for the first time since its establishment in 2011, STA signed a memorandum of understanding with the Ministry of Education and Technical Education to establish and develop 10 applied technology schools nationwide within 5 years. It also signed an agreement to join the Finnish Global Educational Solutions (FGES) to develop education in cooperation with both the UK's International Academy for Research and Advanced Studies and Finland's International Educational Solutions Foundation, with the aim of bringing about a qualitative change to the field of technical education in Egypt. Under the agreement, the Finnish side will supply STA with the latest educational and scientific systems, in addition to training teachers to raise their competencies, along with continuous technical supervision to verify the quality of the provided education. Meanwhile, the Egyptian side will provide the necessary capabilities to make this project feasible on a national scale to include the largest possible number of both public and private technical schools.

STA also signed a cooperation agreement with IBM Egypt to implement the P-TECH Model with the aim of providing specialized educational opportunities for STA's students in the fields of Cybersecurity, Cloud Computing, Digital Design, Artificial Intelligence, Data Analytics and other advanced technologies. This will help build the necessary skills and expertise for students to qualify for the modern labor market, under the auspices of the Ministry of Education and Technical Education in Egypt. It also signed a cooperation agreement with Oracle for Oracle Academy to provide free curriculum, information technology and access to services including Oracle Autonomous Database. This agreement will help train educators in the latest industry-relevant technologies so they can pass the knowledge and skills on to their students, and provide membership discounts on international Oracle certification exam fees. STA also signed a memorandum of understanding with Azza Fahmy Foundation to support technical education and enhance the handicraft skills of the Egyptian workforce through training programs in accordance with the latest international standards.

During the ceremony, Eng. Ahmed El Sewedy, Head of the Board of Trustees of Elsewedy Electric Foundation and President and Chief Executive Officer of Elsewedy Electric, said: “We have a strong interest in providing an added value to society. As an Egyptian company established more than eighty years ago, Elsewedy Electric has an interest that is not limited to the business results, but what is more important for us is that we can make a tangible change to the Egyptian society. Through our work, we have noticed in recent years that the Egyptian workers need more training and stronger capabilities and thus came the idea of establishing STA in 2011 to provide a dual educational model that follows German and Finnish standards, and which connects the theoretical part to the practical needs of the local and international markets."

El Sewedy added: “It is necessary that we have the technical labor that is capable of meeting the requirements of the future. In STA, we have a vision of creating a model example for the Egyptian worker that combines in the academic study practical work in line with international standards, especially as practical work represents not less than 80% of the curricula, with the remaining percentage for theoretical studies. This is in addition to mastering the foreign language, to facilitate dealing with digital transformation technology in the field of industry, along with the skills of online search so that STA graduates become aware of all new developments in the industrial field in which they will specialize”. 

Established in 2011, STA is an affiliate of Elsewedy Electric Foundation. Located in the Tenth of Ramadan City, STA operates with a capacity of 1200 students, to provide a dual education system that follows Finnish and German standards and links theoretical education to practical training through specializations in steel production, logistics, mechanical works, maintenance and repair of heavy industries, industrial electronics, components of cable and power sector, foodstuff production, and plastics, with the aim of supporting the education system and the professional workforce in Egypt. STA provides practical training in factories so that the percentage of the practical side in curricula is not less than 80%, in addition to the possibility of obtaining an experience certificate from the factories in which training is carried out. The students who are enrolled in those factories are granted a monthly cash allowance for practical training.

“Throughout its long history in the Egyptian market, IBM has heavily focused on bridging the skills gap and investing in skills development to equip Egyptians with the needed digital skills and capabilities to be ready for today’s workplace,” said Wael Abdoush, General Manager, IBM Egypt, said: “Our collaboration with STA to apply the P-TECH model reinforces our commitment to supporting digital literacy and empower the Egyptian youth with new skills for today’s sought-after jobs”.

Hanan Elrihany, CEO of Elsewedy Technical Academy, said: “The high level of educational service in STA has led to the increase in enrollments, with the number of admission applicants this year reaching 11,000 students whose applications are examined electronically. This means that we have succeeded in changing the social view of technical education in Egypt, as STA graduates obtain a technical education diploma approved by the Ministry of Education, in addition to the international merits certificate approved by Finland or the German Arab Chamber of Commerce and Industry, as well as an English language proficiency certificate approved by the University of Cambridge”.

Elrihany added: “The Egyptian government is exerting tremendous efforts to develop the technical education and upgrade the level of technical labor to be able to fulfill the government's plans in industrial development and building of human capabilities. Work in STA began with the aim of achieving Elsewedy Electric Foundation’s aspiration of providing highest-level technicians in coordination with the Ministry of Education and the Ministry of Social Solidarity. However, our ambitions and success grew, so we started to collaborate with other industry partners to find out the specializations they need and integrate them into the academic curricula in STA, which paves the way for learners to engage more with the disciplines that are required in the labor market. One of STA's key successes was the establishment of a specialized curriculum in the field of iron and steel manufacturing in Egypt, in partnership with the Suez Steel Company".

About Elsewedy Technical Academy-STA:

Elsewedy Technical Academy was established in 2011 as a part of Elsewedy Electric’s commitment towards the community and technical educational and vocational training development in Egypt. STA has established two schools for technical education within a cooperation protocol with the Ministry of Education and Technical Education depending on a dual education system for a period of three years. The Academy adopts the principles of successful partnership with the private sector, where the study is based on practical training with 80% in partner factories and 20% theoretical education in the school.

STA is distinguished for the educational quality presented to students by providing accredited international certificates either from Finland or German Chamber of Commerce according to each major, in addition to the benefits that will be provided to its students, for example providing school uniforms, transportation from and to the school, school meals, and health care.

The Academy is also keen on applying and using the best distinguished educational systems with smart educational structure, in addition to relying on technology in education through converting some educational materials into electronic interactive materials. The academic curricula cover wide range of fields including components of the energy sector (cables and transformers), electronics Industrial, mechanical work, maintenance and repair, maintenance and repair of heavy equipment, steel production, logistics and plastic production. The Academy is one of the entities affiliated with the Elsewedy Electric Foundation, the societal and development arm of the Elsewedy Electric and registered with the Ministry of Social Solidarity under No. 824. It is a non-profit organization that engages in many important community activities and initiatives in Egypt.