Goodyear Middle East and Africa and the Ghabbour Foundation for Development have on Thursday announced a three-year partnership to upskill talents for Egypt's automotive industry. The partnership will see the implementation of a state-of-the-art tire maintenance training workshop and a dedicated sponsorship programme for three female students towards training, upskilling and nurturing automotive and technical talent at the Ghabbour Applied Technology Schools in Cairo. The signing ceremony took place on the grounds of the GB Academy. The agreement was signed between Berna Akinci, Director for Consumer Business for Emerging Markets at Goodyear; George Sedky, Secretary General Ghabbour Foundation for Development and Chief Human Resources Officer GB Corp; and Ghassan Kabbany CEO of Egyptian Vehicles Manufacturing Company (Ghabbour Egypt), one of GB Corp. subsidiaries. "Goodyear's partnership with the Ghabbour Foundation today marks an important milestone for our operations in Egypt," Akinci said. "Today's agreement will support the Ghabbour Foundation in playing a pivotal role in the training and upskilling of local technicians. This sets in motion the fundamentals of establishing a solid foundation for growing the pool of technical talent for Egypt's automotive industry." she added. Established in 2017, Ghabbour Foundation is a non-governmental organisation (NGO) specialised in the development of vocational education in Egypt by bridging the gap between industry needs and quality of vocational education, applying international qualification standards. The Foundation offers a comprehensive development methodology by providing the German dual education system through partnership with an international academic partner (Saxony International School) and accreditation from the German Arab Chamber for Industry and Commerce while also focusing on personal and professional development of the trainees in its schools leading to the empowerment of qualified technicians as wholesome individuals with limitless career opportunities. "We are pleased to be partnering with Goodyear, a global leader in tire technology and manufacturing," said Dina Ghabbour. "I am certain that this partnership with Goodyear will deliver a positive and sustained impact on Egypt's socio-economic development. Both the Ghabbour Foundation and Goodyear's visions have dovetailed to create an incredible opportunity for our upcoming talent." In addition to the workshop funding, the sponsorship programme will cover the costs of specialised automotive maintenance training and education to three aspiring female technical talents enrolled in Ghabbour Applied Technology Schools. Akinci added: "We believe that talent is the foundation of any workforce and should be nurtured regardless of gender. In a traditionally male-dominated industry, these three women stand as a vanguard and we aim to foster their growth so they might make a positive impact in their community."
