وزير الشباب والرياضة يشهد فعاليات أسبوع شباب الجامعات التكنولوجية فى نسخته الأولى

Dr. Ashraf Sobhi, Minister of Youth and Sports, witnessed the activities of the first edition of the Technological Universities Youth Week, which is being held during the period from September 17 to 21, in the presence of Dr. Ayman Ashour, Minister of Higher Education and Scientific Research, Mr. Mohamed Gebran, Minister of Labor, Mr. Lieutenant General Ahmed Khaled, Governor of Alexandria, Mr. Kim Young-hyun, Ambassador of South Korea to Egypt, and the presidents of technological universities, industry partners, media professionals and journalists, at the Youth City in Abu Qir, Alexandria.

During his speech, Dr. Ashraf Sobhi stressed that the week’s activities addressed a very important issue related to enhancing the contributions of Egyptian youth and achieving their ambitions and needs. Technology, which is the language of the age, represents a vital tool that enables youth to achieve their dreams and contribute to changing the world around them. This interest and care comes from our political leadership, believing in the importance of youth as a fundamental pillar for facing national challenges in light of the current international and regional circumstances. Youth are also the most aware of these challenges, as they are greatly affected by them.

The Minister of Youth pointed out that organizing such specialized meetings in the field of technology, with the participation of technological universities, is considered a prominent evidence of what Egyptian youth have achieved during the era of His Excellency President Abdel Fattah El-Sisi, and reflects the great interest that the political leadership pays to youth, through holding many youth conferences and events that have become a unique Egyptian tradition, and the political leadership has established its foundations and set its features within the framework of the strategy of building the Egyptian person.

The Minister of Youth and Sports expressed his pride and honor to be among this group of distinguished minds, saying: “We will provide full support to ensure the success of all events and activities that serve our Egyptian youth in all fields. I extend my sincere thanks and appreciation to all the technological universities participating in this event, and I would like to commend their wonderful efforts and valuable contributions. I also extend my thanks to the organizing committees that worked hard and sincerely to make this week a success, and to all the participating youth who have proven that they are a promising and bright generation for Egypt’s future.”

Dr. Ashraf Sobhi continued, saying: “This event represents a platform for exchanging ideas and enhancing cooperation between young people from technological universities in light of the major transformation in the technological field and its impact on the economy and society. Developing skills and preparing for future jobs has become an urgent necessity. The Ministry of Youth and Sports seeks to spread the culture of sports technology, which we hope will revolutionize this field, contributing to improving the performance of athletes, coaches and the public using technology and artificial intelligence, while emphasizing the importance of supporting the sports labor market through innovative ideas that young people will present.”

In his speech, Dr. Ayman Ashour stressed the importance of holding the activities of this week, which reflects the interest that the Egyptian state, led by President Abdel Fattah El-Sisi, pays to its young people, and works to form their independent, sound personalities, and arm them with various scientific and personal skills and capabilities that make them useful elements for its society and country, explaining that the expansion in establishing technological universities and new study programs aims primarily to arm young people with the skills required for the labor market, expressing his happiness to attend the activities of the Technological Universities Youth Week, greeting all participating delegations of professors, students and workers, and thanking all those in charge of organizing this important event.

The Minister of Higher Education stressed the importance of students’ participation in the Technological Universities Youth Week, as it represents a unique opportunity to compete in various competitions and participate in various activities, explaining that these events contribute to supporting communication between students and industry partners, allowing them to gain valuable experiences and skills, and bring together young researchers and innovators; which allows them to invest their efforts in dialogue and effective student activity, and enhances their energies, promising ambitions, and constructive ideas; to develop their capabilities in a positive way, in line with achieving Egypt’s Vision 2030.

Dr. Ayman Ashour stressed that the ministry seeks to achieve a qualitative leap in higher education by establishing 17 new technological universities covering all parts of the country. This project comes in implementation of the directives of the political leadership, and aims to build scientifically and practically qualified national cadres capable of driving the wheel of sustainable development, and enhancing Egypt’s competitive position globally. The ten current technological universities offer specialized educational programs that keep pace with developments in the labor market, which highlights the significant increase in student demand for them, and reflects a positive change in society’s view of this type of education.

At the end of his speech, Ashour praised the wide participation of universities, noting that it reflects the determination of university youth and their keenness to participate strongly in all sports, artistic, scientific, cultural, and roving events, pointing out that this makes us face a youth forum in which the meanings of determination and success are embodied in all their forms.

For his part, Mr. Mohamed Gebran thanked Dr. Ayman Ashour for his invitation to participate in this event, stressing that the experience of technological universities enjoys the support and patronage of the political leadership to keep pace with global changes in education and the challenges facing the labor market, adding that the experience of the first week for technological university youth represents an opportunity to confirm its coincidence with the start of implementing the presidential initiative “A New Beginning for Building the Human Being”, which aims to develop the Egyptian citizen in the fields of self-development, health, education, sports, and culture. This meeting also enhances communication between students, allows the exchange of technological knowledge and expertise, supports the spirit of innovation and entrepreneurship, in addition to developing social skills and providing training and employment opportunities for students and graduates of technological universities.

The Minister of Manpower added that our participation today reflects our keenness to emphasize that the Egyptian government works in an integrated manner and as one system, especially between ministries with common goals. The Ministry of Manpower seeks to develop the vocational training system, link it to the needs of the local and international labor market, and support youth rehabilitation programs for future professions. We are also keen to quickly issue the national employment strategy in cooperation with local and international labor and development partners. We work with the private sector in employment forums to provide skilled and trained workers in record hours to meet the needs of companies. Our membership in the ministerial committee tasked with the project to harmonize education and training outcomes with the labor market, in cooperation with the Ministries of Higher Education and Education, confirms the concerted efforts towards developing the vocational education and training system; to graduate qualified cadres capable of competing in the changing labor market, and to achieve the sustainable development goals of Egypt’s Vision 2030 in line with the outcomes of technological universities whose students’ achievements we celebrate today.

Mr. Mohamed Gebran stressed his full support for such constructive ideas that highlight the role of technological universities, which are considered one of the most prominent results of developing the educational process during the era of President Abdel Fattah El-Sisi, as the university system has witnessed a number of important developments, most notably the establishment of technological colleges in the governorates, thanks to the great support provided by the President of the Republic to university education and before it, in preparation for facing the world of modern technology and its future functions, and contributing to building the new republic.

For his part, Mr. Kim Young-hyun, Ambassador of South Korea to Egypt, expressed his happiness with the success of the first edition of the Technological Universities Youth Week, noting that this event represents a great opportunity to celebrate students’ creativity and enhance the spirit of innovation among them. He expressed his appreciation to the Ministry of Higher Education and Scientific Research and all those concerned with organizing this distinguished event, stressing that the first edition of the Technological Universities Youth Week is an inspiring occasion, as it provided an opportunity for young people to exchange ideas and present their innovative projects, which contributes to strengthening Egypt’s position as a major supporter of innovative minds.

The ambassador added that science and technology are the cornerstone of any economic progress, noting that Korea and Egypt are celebrating the 30th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations next year, and are working to deepen cooperation in the fields of technology and higher education.

Highlighting the distinguished cooperation between Korea and Egypt in establishing Beni Suef Technological University, since 2016, the Korea International Cooperation Agency (KOICA) and Beni Suef Technological University have developed university-level technology education curricula, as well as mechatronics and ICT programs modeled on the Korean system. A remarkable achievement was achieved by graduating 96 students in 2023, 60 of whom are in the mechatronics engineering program and 33 in the ICT engineering program. The bilateral partnership was further strengthened when industry partners such as Samsung Electronics provided internship opportunities for students. Building on the success of this phase, we started the second phase of the project this year, which focuses on mechatronics and ICT programs, as well as introducing the railway technology program. The second phase of the project features close cooperation with the Ministry of Transport and new private sector partners such as Hyundai Rotem and CISCO. The $8 million project over the next six years in the second phase aims to further raise the standards of technical education in Egypt and help young Egyptian talents achieve their career goals. Korea seeks to strengthen its development cooperation with Egypt, the only partner with Priority in development cooperation in the Middle East and North Africa region, noting that on the occasion of the Korean-African summit last June, South Korea increased its economic development cooperation fund for Egypt from one billion US dollars to three billion dollars, and the Korean government will continue its strong commitment to supporting youth in Egypt and expanding its scope in partnership with relevant ministries and institutions.

The Korean Ambassador pointed out that KOICA cooperates closely with the Egyptian Ministry of Youth and Sports through its youth centers to improve awareness of gender-based violence and appropriate reproductive health for youth and their communities.

For his part, Dr. Ahmed Al-Sabbagh, Advisor to the Minister for Technical and Technological Education, pointed out that the first edition of the Technological Universities Youth Week reflects the interest in the technical and technological education system and the commitment to enhancing the capabilities of our youth affiliated with this system, which enjoys the attention and follow-up of the political leadership. This interest is evident in the assignment of His Excellency the President of the Republic to establish 17 new technological universities in addition to the ten existing technological universities, in an effort to cover all governorates of the Republic with this type of education, which is the cornerstone of economic development in all advanced countries of the world. He pointed out that the Technological Universities Youth Week witnesses the organization of many activities in various scientific, cultural, artistic, sports, and social fields. The week’s activities include sports activities, such as: five-a-side football, beach volleyball, table tennis, and physical fitness. Social activities also include chess competitions, and the ideal male and female student, while cultural activities include reciting the Holy Quran, religious chanting, hymns, poetry, recitation, and information leagues. As for artistic activities, they include an art exhibition, an art workshop, and individual singing, in addition to scientific activities that include a science exhibition and competitions. In robot.

The total number of participating delegations from technological universities is 600 male and female students. The week of events includes 27 various competitions in sports activities. The universities also participate with 40 innovative technological projects, at a rate of 4 projects for each university. In addition, a number of industrial companies are present to display laboratory and medical equipment, laboratory equipment and workshops.

The week also includes organizing a number of seminars and workshops, including 10 specialized training workshops in skills development, entrepreneurship, financial inclusion, and feasibility studies. These activities contribute to shaping students’ personalities and enhancing their ability to face challenges with confidence. They also open up opportunities for them to learn about their interests and build a valuable professional and social network. In addition, the week includes an exhibition to display scientific equipment and entrepreneurship for a number of industrial companies and related institutions.

On the other hand, Minister of Youth and Sports Dr. Ashraf Sobhi inspected the innovative projects presented by students of technological universities, where they expressed their admiration for the efforts and creativity that embody the spirit of innovation among young people, and they viewed a variety of projects that cover the fields of modern technology; reflecting the students’ capabilities and their ability to provide practical solutions to contemporary challenges.

On the other hand, the ministers honored the top students of technological universities, expressing their pride in their academic achievements, noting that these students are a model for the generation that seeks to achieve excellence and creativity.

The industry partners who contributed to supporting these events and backing the efforts of technological universities were also honored. The Minister stressed the importance of cooperation between educational and industrial institutions, as this cooperation is considered a major factor in developing education and meeting the needs of the labor market.

The ministers also witnessed the inauguration of the Technology Advisory Council for Health and Industry.