As part of broader efforts to enhance technical education and vocational training, the Ministry of Education and Technical Education (METE) announced the signing of cooperation protocols last week with several countries, including Italy and Finland, to launch applied technology schools in various specialisations.
The ministry has partnered with international institutions to transfer expertise and global quality standards into the Egyptian system, preparing qualified workers capable of meeting the needs of both local and international labour markets. These collaborations aim to link technical education with different production sectors and keep pace with modern industrial developments.
Minister of Education and Technical Education Mohamed Abdel-Latif said in the announcement that the state has succeeded in changing the societal perception of technical education through the experience of applied technology schools, which combine theoretical learning with hands-on training in real work environments.
He added that the private sector plays a key role in establishing and operating these schools, as well as providing practical training opportunities for students.
In line with this approach, the Chamber of Woodworking and Furniture Industry at the Federation of Egyptian Industries (CWWFI) is working to strengthen technical education within the industrial sector, particularly in developing and refining the skills of technical workers.
Noha Nehad, executive director of the CWWFI, told Al-Ahram Weekly that the CWWFI implements programmes to enhance technical labour skills in collaboration with the German Agency for International Cooperation (GIZ) and the ICON Institute, a German consulting group. The project operates under the umbrella of the Technical and Comprehensive Technical Education Initiative in Egypt (TCTI II), which aims to provide technical students and graduates with decent job opportunities and meet the private sector’s demand for skilled labour.
“The project has included workshops with manufacturers from various industrial clusters, resulting in the modernisation of the curricula for carpentry, furniture finishing, and upholstery. These curricula have been accredited by the (METE) to align with the sector’s needs. The first upholstery training programme, lasting four weeks, is currently being implemented with the participation of both international and local trainers to transfer expertise to factories and enhance the skills of workers,” she said.
“The CWWFI is preparing to launch new training programmes focused on production methods, pricing, and sales, as well as raising awareness about the use of CNC and router machines in Upper Egypt, Damietta, and Cairo’s industrial zones,” she said. “In addition, the chamber supports small workshops facing debt and rising costs by helping them promote their products and participate in exhibitions, which serve as vital marketing platforms for manufacturers. These efforts benefit more than 14,430 industrial establishments registered with the chamber, including 1,239 in Damietta alone.”
The efforts to support technical education align well with the current needs of the furniture market, according to Amr Orensa, a marketing and design manager in a furniture manufacturing company. The furniture industry in Egypt has undergone significant transformations, particularly in Damietta, which accounts for 70 per cent of the sector’s total exports, he said.
The city’s traditional model of family-based workshops, where members of one household worked together in small spaces, has gradually declined. Most workers have now shifted to larger companies as small workshops can no longer withstand market fluctuations and rising raw material costs that have driven up product prices and weakened purchasing power.
“The shift towards employment in larger entities has disrupted the intergenerational transfer of craftsmanship that once took place within families, leading to a decline in the number of skilled artisans. The problem has deepened further with the decreasing interest in technical education, as more young people pursue university degrees. Even those who enroll in technical schools often view them merely as a transitional stage to access university programmes unrelated to the craft, taking advantage of the lower admission requirements compared to general secondary education,” Orensa said.
“In addition, the curricula and training methods in technical schools are outdated and disconnected from real market needs, leaving graduates without adequate practical experience in the furniture industry. The rise of modern factories relying on temporary labour has also weakened traditional professional ties, prompting many skilled craftsmen to migrate abroad in search of better income, which has further increased the shortage of artisans in the local market.”
“Moreover, the rising cost of raw materials has become a heavy burden on the industry. Wood prices have increased significantly in recent years, and the surge has also affected paints, fittings, and auxiliary materials, leading to a noticeable rise in production costs. Some manufacturers can no longer bear these increases, forcing them to reduce their production volume or rely on lower-quality materials, as controlling prices has become a real challenge for all producers.”
“Many designers and manufacturers are now focusing on creating designs that require fewer materials and accessories to reduce costs. In addition, there has been a gradual shift toward sustainable design, and we have already started taking steps in this direction. Some factories are now considering the use of eco-friendly materials and minimising waste during production. This approach not only aims to protect the environment but also helps lower costs in the long term,” Orensa explained.
INITIATIVES: In an effort to address these challenges, “we have launched the Designdustry Initiative, which integrates creative design with manufacturing to support and develop the furniture industry. The initiative aimed to train designers and connect them with factories and workshops to ensure that designs are commercially viable,” Orensa said.
“As part of our initiative to support the industry, we participated in projects linking design with manufacturing through a collaboration with the Royal Danish Academy of Fine Arts in Copenhagen under the Egyptian-Danish Initiative funded by the UN Development Programme [UNDP].”
“Over the past seven years, we have hosted Danish designers in Damietta on a yearly basis to implement their designs in Egyptian workshops. We took them on tours across the city’s workshops, allowing them to explore the local environment and fostering strong professional and cultural ties between both sides. So far, we have hosted six editions of the initiative, each producing an average of 14 designs. The resulting pieces are prototypes that we plan to refine and compile in a catalogue featuring the best designs for commercial production,” he said.
The initiative has launched a new collaboration with the British Council and the British University in Egypt (BUE) to support Damietta’s workshops with products that are easy to manufacture. Ten Egyptian and four British designers won a competition whose results will first be showcased in Damietta and then during the Cairo Design Week that is scheduled to take place by the end of November.
Orensa believes that the success of these initiatives depends on expanding their scope to include more manufacturers and designers. “I hope other companies in Cairo, Alexandria, and Damietta will establish similar collaborations with different countries. Such projects represent a model for integrating education, design, and production while offering Egyptian industry a chance to shine internationally through its authentic creative spirit,” he said.
He noted that the initiatives have contributed to enhancing the design mindset among Egyptian artisans. “The experience has created a unique artistic and cultural exchange between foreign designers and skilled Egyptian craftsmen. The designers have closely supervised the realisation of their concepts by Egyptian artisans, while the latter have learned new approaches to thinking, designing, and execution.”
“The success of the experiment has encouraged us to repeat it and to celebrate the outcomes through exhibitions in Damietta and Cairo. Work produced during the last two editions was displayed at the Egyptian Museum in Tahrir Square. The designs were inspired by European styles but executed with Egyptian techniques, representing a model for developing local industry through knowledge exchange without losing its identity or distinctive Egyptian character,” he added.
“The Danish designers’ choice of Egypt was no coincidence. Since the 1950s, Danish designers have drawn inspiration from the aesthetics of ancient Egyptian furniture, a turning point in their design history. Returning to Egypt to create new pieces here was therefore seen as a return to their roots.”
“This experience has also fostered a strong sense of loyalty between foreign designers and the Egyptian industry. Graduates of the academy over the past seven years have gained deep knowledge of Egyptian design and Damietta’s workshops. Many young foreign designers, who are now shaping the future of design in their own countries, have developed a genuine connection with the Egyptian furniture industry after working hands-on in the workshops. This has created a shared language that bridges the spirit of Egyptian heritage with modern global design trends,” he concluded.
In addition to private and government efforts to enhance technical education, a Subsidised Foreign Exhibitions Promotional Programme 2025-2028 has been launched by the state, offering a subsidy covering 60 per cent of the preparation costs for furniture companies participating in collective Egyptian shows abroad, according to Mohamed Alaa, Export Services Manager at the Egyptian Furniture Export Council (EFEC).
“The government has also introduced the Export Support Subsidy Programme 2025-2026, a cash-based initiative designed to assist the furniture sector in coping with export burdens. It reimburses a percentage of the commercial invoice value based on the proportion of local components used in the products. The higher the local content, the greater the rebate, thereby reducing export costs and providing Egyptian products with a competitive price advantage in international markets,” Alaa said.
“The state has been implementing a policy to localise industry by replacing imported production materials with domestically manufactured alternatives. This policy has already started to yield results. For instance, Egypt has begun expanding the local production of MDF boards, which are among the most imported raw materials due to their vital role in furniture manufacturing.”
According to Alaa, Egypt’s furniture exports reached $343 million in 2024, marking an eight per cent increase from 2023. Damietta accounted for 70 per cent of total sector exports, based on analyses by the Egyptian Furniture Export Council using data from the General Organisation for Export and Import Control.
The top six importing countries of Egyptian furniture were Saudi Arabia, Iraq, Sudan, Libya, the UAE, and the US. The Arab market remains the largest regional group, absorbing approximately 80 per cent of Egypt’s furniture exports.
“The demand for furniture manufactured in Damietta varies, as workshops specialising in classical ornate wooden furniture, though limited in number, continue to attract certain importers, particularly from Italy. These acquire intricately carved pieces and then complete the finishing stages, including upholstery, painting, and final touches, before selling them as ready-made products,” Orensa said.
“Other workshops in Damietta operate within an integrated system to produce modern designs inspired by reference photos provided by clients. Carpentry workshops craft the wooden framework, while separate upholstery and painting workshops complete the pieces, working together to create finely made furniture that combines authenticity with innovation.”
* A version of this article appears in print in the 23 October, 2025 edition of Al-Ahram Weekly
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