CAIRO, Sept 20 , 2018 - In collaboration with the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD), the Swiss government has agreed to finance a training project for 500 young Egyptian technicians, a news release said on Thursday. The project, which was scheduled to start on Thursday in the industrial city of 10th of Ramadan, Sharquia Governorate, will include intensive courses dealing with energy components and machine maintenance, according to the release that was e-mailed to The Egyptian Gazette by the Swiss Embassy in Cairo. The programme, which will be held at el-Swidi Technical Academy in the 10th of Ramadan City, will be attended by female and male technicians in order to hone their skills and prepare them for the job market. The Swiss-financed project, which would run until 2021, aims to upgrade the academy's curricula, improve the trainers' teaching skills, and allow more female students to join the academy, the news release added. The project, whose total budget is 2.75 million Swiss francs, is part of the programme that has been launched by the EBRD in Egypt, Tunisia, Morocco, and Jordan. The Swiss Ambassador in Cairo, Mr Paul Garnier, said that the project would help narrow the gap between the number of trained technicians and the job market requirements. Ambassador Garnier also said that the project would also help create a strong middle class in Egypt. "The project, which represents an effective partnership between Switzerland and the local private sector, will help carry out the national strategies of the country, which seeks to create job opportunities for the Egyptian young people," Ambassador Garnier said.
