The Information Technology Industry Development Agency (ITIDA) signed a cooperation agreement with Alexandria University to formulate a joint work plan aiming to qualify students of computer engineering, communications, and information technology (IT) for the labour market. The agreement was signed by Asmaa Hosny, CEO of ITIDA, and Essam Al-Kurdi, president of Alexandria University, in the presence of deans and professors of the faculties of engineering, commerce, science, and arts, as well as some ITIDA officials. It included a comprehensive plan to train undergraduates on specialised skills in data technology, mobile applications, design engineering, communication services, and business skills associated with these courses. Hosny said that Alexandria University will be the first Egyptian state-run university to benefit from the National Competence Framework formulated by many international bodies and consulting companies as well as IT companies. She noted that Future University in Egypt and the Arab Academy for Science, Technology, and Maritime Transport were the first private universities to adopt the framework. Hosny added that the agreement aims to provide the labour market with trained workers who are capable of dealing with the new global technology. The framework is intended to bridge the gap between education and the requirements of the labour market. The framework also defines the description and career path of 62 jobs in four key IT fields, including IT products and services, telecommunications, outsourcing business systems, outsourcing knowledge systems, and electronics manufacturing and design. The National Competence Framework will contribute to the development and increase the competitiveness of Egypt's IT companies, in addition to boosting the skills of IT sector workers to suit global standards. It will also develop IT education and training activities to qualify graduates for the labour market. The project aims to support the areas related to developing and building competitiveness of Egyptian IT companies and the skills of employees to meet international standards. It also targets developing education and training activities to help university graduates find employment opportunities in the sector. The project identifies the skills and competences required by each ICT job to assist in the provision of educational and training programmes and relevant evaluation mechanisms, especially those that focus on the technical, communication, artistic, and linguistic skills. It will be implemented with the help of the expertise of AON Hewitt, a global HR consulting company. ITIDA launches awareness campaigns to stimulate Egyptian public and private universities to adopt and implement the National Skills Framework under the umbrella of a comprehensive agreement with the Supreme Council of Universities. ITIDA has announced the start of implementing the National Competence Framework project for the ICT sector which the agency implements and funds in collaboration with the International Finance Corporation (IFC), a member of the World Bank Group. The National Competence Framework in Egypt comes within the framework of the E4E Initiative for Arab Youth launched by the World Bank Group, which focuses on private sector development in more than 100 countries. The initiative, implemented in Egypt, Jordan, Tunisia, and Morocco since 2012, focuses on partnership between the public and private sectors to bridge the skills gap and provide Arab youth with the required skills for the labour market.
