Valditara inaugurates the first Italian “educational fair” abroad in Cairo

The Minister of Education and Merit, Giuseppe Valditara, The first Italian “educational fair” abroad, Villaggio Italia, focused on technical and professional education, opened today in Egypt. The initiative, organized for today and tomorrow – February 12 and 13 – was hosted in collaboration with the Italian Embassy in Cairo at the Don Bosco Salesian Technical and Professional Institute in the Egyptian capital. Villaggio Italia is part of the broader context of the Mattei Plan, falling within the framework of the memorandum of understanding signed by Italy and Egypt in March 2024 with the aim of strengthening educational cooperation and promoting technical and professional training, as well as enhancing knowledge of the Italian language.

The event sees the participation of 48 Its Academies, specialized in technological areas of extreme relevance for economic cooperation between Italy and Egypt – such as mechatronics, tourism, textiles, energy, agri-food and life technologies – seven Italian supply chain schools and a school representing the Montessori School Network. In parallel with the exhibition stands of all the entities present, for the two days special workshops have been scheduled for Egyptian students and teachers on the Italian language, the Its system, orientation and soft skills, financial education and fashion/textiles, with the contribution of Salone dello Studente and Job&Orienta.

Minister Valditara stressed that Villaggio Italia “represents an important recognition for the Italian school system, which has found great appreciation in Egypt both from educational institutions and from the local business world”. The excellence of our educational system and the recent government reforms, such as the 4+2 model, are “key tools for training highly qualified young people”, Valditara observed. “This will create opportunities for economic development and support Italian and Egyptian businesses. The introduction of the ITS Academies in Egypt, and in other areas of Africa, also favors the rooting of Italian companies, contributing to the strengthening of economic relations. We invest in the training of resources on site, ensuring skills adequate to the needs of the labor market and favoring the development of an educational and productive system that is increasingly integrated between our countries”, stated the Minister of Education and Merit, adding that he is “proud to represent the Italian school system as a whole and in particular, in this case, the technical-professional education sector and the ITS Academies”. What is starting today, he highlighted, “is a great platform of collaboration that brings together educational cooperation with industrial cooperation, school diplomacy with business diplomacy”. Valditara then underlined that “it is no coincidence that the Mattei Plan for Africa identifies education and training as the first of the sectors of intervention”.

During his mission in Egypt, Valditara met with his Egyptian counterpart Mohamed Abdel Latif, with whom he discussed ways to further enhance the prospects of bilateral cooperation. In this regard, he inaugurated the Seminar on Italian-Egyptian cooperation in the field of technical and vocational education. Abdel Latif noted that the partnership between Italy and Egypt “is an inspiring model of fruitful cooperation” in the field of technical education. “This partnership has enabled the exchange of skills and knowledge, improving the capabilities of students and teachers,” said the Egyptian minister, hoping for the continuation of the collaboration so that Egypt can benefit from Italy’s “pioneering experience” in linking technical education to the industrial and entrepreneurial sector, to ensure the labor market has the skills required according to the highest international standards. Abdel Latif then confirmed to Valditara Egypt’s commitment to providing a favorable environment to maximize the benefits of cooperation.

On the occasion of Valditara’s visit to the Cairo , the Ministry of Education and Merit signed a letter of intent with the Ministry of Education and Technical Training of Egypt with the aim of establishing the basis for the creation of a common platform that will foster the convergence of the Egyptian and Italian education systems in the fields of vocational training. The document emphasizes that both parties aim to create a common platform to align their education systems. This initiative will make it possible to leverage the best practices of the Applied Technical Schools (ATS) in Egypt and the Higher Technical Institutes (ITS) in Italy to create a “bridge” of integrated studies, including Italian language education, facilitating the access of Egyptian students to Italian ITS courses and, therefore, the obtaining of a European qualification. The collaboration will include various activities, such as student exchanges, twinning agreements between schools and joint research projects. The Italian Agency for Development Cooperation in Cairo (AICS) will provide technical support, while a joint committee will supervise the implementation of these activities. The document is not binding, but has the exclusive aim of achieving the objectives in a period of five years, with provisions for renewal and amendments by mutual agreement.

In the context of the cooperation, in detail, AICS and the Federation of Egyptian Industries (FEI) have signed a Memorandum of Understanding aimed at improving the technical and vocational education and training sector in Egypt. This is a partnership designed to leverage AICS’s successful strategies and best practices to promote sustainable development and industrial growth in the country. The Memorandum outlines a collaborative framework in which both parties commit to improving Egypt’s education system. AICS will contribute its technical expertise and facilitate knowledge transfer, while FEI will coordinate local associations, implement agreed initiatives and promote capacity building within Egypt’s industrial sector. A key component of this agreement is the creation of a Steering Committee that will prioritize activities, oversee the implementation of the agreement and address any issues that may arise.

Aics today also signed a memorandum of understanding with Eni, for the coordinated implementation of the program “Energize ats: improving technical education and job prospects for youth in Egypt”. The initiative – Eni reported in a statement – aims to improve the quality of technical education in Egypt, responding to the needs of the labor market and promoting green and digital transitions. It is based on the model of the School of Applied Technology that Eni established in Port Said, which had its first class of graduates in 2024. Under the memorandum of understanding, the parties will work in synergy to establish two new schools of applied technology, one in the governorate of Matrouh and the other in that of Damietta.

Eni, through Damietta Lng (Dlng) and its subsidiary Ieoc, in collaboration with the Egyptian Ministry of Petroleum and Mineral Resources, and in the framework of the United Nations 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, will manage the schools, develop educational programs, program accreditation and train teachers. Aics will focus on renovating school infrastructure and providing equipment and furniture, as well as supporting schools in increasing inclusiveness, especially for female and male students with disabilities, and in offering extracurricular Italian language courses. The initiative, carried out under the aegis of the Egyptian Ministry of Education and Technical Education, is carried out in line with the general commitment of the Mattei Plan for training and education, also through the strengthening of partnerships between the public and private sectors. Eni has been present in Egypt since 1954. The company is currently the country’s leading producer, with a hydrocarbon production of approximately 280 thousand barrels of oil equivalent per day in 2024.