The Industrial Modernisation Centre is seeking to overcome the scepticism of businessmen, reports Mona El-Fiqi Attempts to upgrade the standard of services the Industrial Modernisation Centre (IMC) provides to the private sector were the focus of a recent seminar organised by the Federation of Egyptian Industries (FEI) as part of its on- going campaign to encourage businessmen to become more involved with IMC activities. "The aim of the Industrial Modernisation Centre's new strategy is to promote more active involvement on the part of the Egyptian industrial sector as it seeks to integrate more fully within the global economy," said Helmi Abul-Eish, IMC's executive director told the seminar, attended by more than 100 members of the Chamber of Textile Manufacturers. Abul-Eish explained that current IMC strategy seeks to encourage GDP growth to reach nine per cent and provide 1.5 million new jobs. Over the next three years the IMC has identified 10,000 companies whose final products they are seeking to improve so they can better compete in the global market. IMC strategy is to give priority to labour intensive industries which are likely to produce the largest number of job opportunities. The textile industry, which offers investment and export potential, is key to this strategy. To be eligible for IMC assistance companies must have been registered at least two years ago, be privately owned and employ more than 10 people. IMC runs technical, financial, training and quality improvement assistance programmes. It also provides financial assistance for companies investing in new equipment up to the value of 100,000 euros per company. Yet only 25 companies out of the 300 targeted by IMC have so far taken part in its programmes. Hassan Hussein, a textile manufacturer, is typical: he says he no longer has faith in organisations such as the IMC. "These programmes are just talk," says Hussein. "I heard the same speeches when I attended a meeting five years ago and nothing happened." This time, insists Abul-Eish, it is different. The real problem facing the textile sector, says Hussein, is a lack of trained workers. "There are no centres for training workers, and each factory struggles to send workers abroad for training, which is not an easy task." According to Abul-Eish the IMC is currently cooperating with the Ministry of Foreign Trade and Industry on a three-year programme designed to upgrade Egypt's 54 technical training centres that produce 35,000 graduates annually. The programme aims at improving training standards so that they meet the needs of employers, and will begin with El-Mahalah El-Kobra and the 10th of Ramadan training centres.
