The Ministry of Education of both Egypt and Italy launched the first edition of the two-day Mediterranean Countries Technical and Vocational Education Forum, the TechSkills Forum, on 5 June with the participation of education ministers and heads of delegation from 12 countries.
The forum comes as part of a pioneering initiative to build sustainable development partnerships among the African and Mediterranean countries and enhance cooperation in technical and vocational education and training.
There is a special focus on applied technology schools and the development of the skills needed for digital and technological transformation.
The forum focused on themes including the development of technical and technological education, strengthening partnerships between education and industry, supporting innovation and entrepreneurship, and equipping students with digital and applied skills, in addition to exploring the role of artificial intelligence and modern technology in reshaping the future of education and work.
It sought to establish an integrated system linking technical schools, including Italian Higher Technological Institutes (ITS Academies) and Egyptian Applied Technology Schools (ATS), with industrial and technology companies, experts, and decision-makers, contributing to the creation of a clear pathway from education to employment.
It concluded its activities with a Cairo Declaration adopted by the 12 participating countries of Egypt, Italy, Albania, Algeria, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Cyprus, Croatia, Greece, Montenegro, Romania, Spain, and Libya.
This affirmed the pivotal role of technical and vocational education and training in supporting economic and social development, enhancing youth employment opportunities, and consolidating social cohesion. It stressed the importance of developing educational and training pathways in line with the requirements of digital transformation, the green economy, and artificial intelligence applications.
It also included a number of common objectives, most notably exchanging expertise and best practices in technical and vocational education and training and lifelong learning, strengthening student, teacher, and trainer mobility programmes, encouraging the implementation of joint academic and training programmes, and developing digital, environmental, and entrepreneurial skills.
Proposed areas of cooperation include strengthening partnerships between technical and vocational education and training institutions and the industrial and business sectors, supporting research and innovation networks concerned with youth employability and social inclusion, organising joint conferences, seminars, and training programmes, coordinating professional qualification frameworks, and encouraging the mutual recognition of skills and competencies acquired among the participating countries.
The declaration also stipulated the establishment of a coordination mechanism identifying national contact points at the relevant ministries and authorities in the participating countries.
These contact points will be responsible for preparing joint annual action plans and following up on the implementation of agreed initiatives and programmes in order to ensure their sustainability, maximise their impact, and achieve their intended objectives.
Minister of Education and Technical Education Mohamed Abdel-Latif said at the forum that the world is witnessing a defining moment, as rapid technological changes, artificial intelligence, digital transformation, climate challenges, and successive shifts in labour markets reshape the future of work and learning. He said that the strength of nations will increasingly depend on the skills of their people.
Abdel-Latif said that natural resources, infrastructure, and investments remain important factors, but they are no longer sufficient on their own to guarantee success. The real driver of competitiveness lies in human capital, he said, through preparing young people who are able to think, innovate, adapt, communicate, solve problems, deal with technology, and contribute productively to their societies.
Abdel-Latif said that technical education and vocational training should not be considered a secondary path and instead need to be seen as a strategic pathway for employment, innovation, productivity, entrepreneurship, and social mobility. They represent one of the strongest tools linking education directly to the real needs of the economy.
Italian Minister of Education Giuseppe Valditara said at the forum that the world is witnessing profound and rapid changes, as the technological revolution driven by artificial intelligence, along with digital, energy, and environmental transformations and developments in labour markets accompanied by the growing demand for advanced skills are reshaping economies and societies.
“Challenges of this scale cannot be addressed individually,” Valditara said, stressing the importance of joint action. The responsibility lies with everyone to best serve the younger generations and the future of societies.
“There is a need to build a Mediterranean region that is capable of producing innovation and achieving economic development,” he said, noting that schools and technical and vocational education and training institutions play a decisive role in achieving this goal.
Their role is not limited to transferring knowledge but also extends to supporting personal growth and social mobility, as well as developing human capital and exchanging skills, in a way that helps provide job opportunities for young people and strengthens the competitiveness of the business sector, he said.
Valditara reviewed Italy’s innovative reform model in technological and vocational education through its “4+2” system and Higher Technical Institutes.
This model is based on integrating vocational secondary education with higher technical institutes through two stages. The first lasts four years, during which students obtain a technical diploma equivalent to an academic certificate. The second lasts two years and takes place at the Higher Technology Academies.
The system is based on curricula designed in cooperation with companies to meet labour-market needs, focusing on practical field training and providing fast pathways either to employment or to continuing studies, he said.
* A version of this article appears in print in the 11 June, 2026 edition of Al-Ahram Weekly
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