The project was launched during the first edition of the Vocational Training Conference on Monday with the presence of Minister of Labour Hassan Shehata, Minister of Planning and Economic Development Hala El-Said, Minister of Finance Mohamed Maait, and Minister of Education and Technical Education Reda Hegazy.

The conference addressed vocational training policies, fostering dialogue among government officials, technical education representatives, worker advocates, and employers, according to the labour ministry’s statement.

It focused mainly on establishing effective partnerships among training institutions to enhance the vocational and technical education sector, ultimately benefiting Egypt's future workforce.

It also highlighted the labour ministry’s initiatives in shaping the vocational training system, unveiling its tools, mechanisms, and the goals of the “Mehany 2030” project. 

“Mehany 2030” project aspires to train one million individuals, elevating their skills to meet the local and global labour markets' demands. It also aims to standardize private training centres' status and implement long-term training programs, ranging from three months to a year. 

The first phase of the project targets a minimum of 27,000 trainees, ensuring at least 1,000 highly skilled trainees in each governorate and the registration of a minimum of 50 private sector-affiliated training centres. 

Although Egypt already has 75 vocational training centres and an annual plan to graduate 10,000 trainees, Shehata noted that the state's goal of expanding vocational training still needs to be met, and this project is envisioned to achieve that objective.

Additionally, there are 670 private-affiliated training centres nationwide, and the ministry is working to include them in the project to graduate competent technical workers.

Labour market information for youth employment
 

Meanwhile, El-Said highlighted the collaborative efforts between her ministry and various entities, including the labour ministry, the education and technical education ministry, the higher education ministry, and the Central Agency for Public Mobilization and Statistics (CAPMAS) to establish a labour market information system. This system aims to provide essential details about labour market needs, demand, and supply. 

She also commended the new project for aligning with Egypt’s emphasis on technical education and vocational training as crucial investments in human resources.

Technical education and employment
 

Furthermore, Hegazy emphasized the project's link with his ministry through technical education, noting the evolving perception that technical education students enrol with higher averages than general education.

He also mentioned that students secure job opportunities before graduation and that a protocol with the Ministry of Labor is expected to be signed soon within this framework.

Egypt reported 2.263 million unemployed individuals in the third quarter (Q3) of 2023, accounting for 7.1 percent of the total workforce, according to figures released by CAPMAS.

The country’s overall workforce, including employed and unemployed individuals, reached approximately 31.956 million in Q3, nearly 3.2 percent up compared to Q2, according to CAPMAS.

The Egyptian government seeks to create around 800,000 new jobs, mainly in agriculture, construction, retail, and manufacturing, during the fiscal year (FY) 2023/2024 to accommodate the anticipated increase in the unemployment rate.

It expects the labour force to reach 29.1 million in FY2023/2024 and the unemployment rate to be 7.6 percent.

Moreover, the Egyptian Ministry of Labour and Immigration is currently drafting the National Strategy for Employment, which will contribute to outlining market needs to reduce unemployment rates.