U.S. Partners with Egyptian Engineers to Increase Employability

February 12, 2013

Cairo: Twenty Egyptian engineers recently completed internships with the Egyptian Group for Engineering Consultation (EGEC) through a two-year project funded by a grant from the U.S. Government.  Of the twenty graduates of this year’s internship program, sixteen have already found gainful employment.

“Egypt’s peaceful and prosperous future depends very much on creating jobs for its youth,” said William Patterson, Economic Growth Director at the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID).  “This program provides recent engineering graduates with the necessary hands-on experience to compete in the job market in Egypt and the wider Middle East.”

The USAID-funded project supports graduates from faculties of engineering, commerce, law, and humanities at various Egyptian universities to work side by side with seasoned engineers and draftsmen.  According to EGEC Chairman Dr. Moustafa Elsayed, “This enables them to strengthen their technical skills and enhance their workplace proficiencies in areas such as work ethics, decision-making, communication, and problem-solving in addition to the practical training in the ongoing projects."

The program will train a total of 40 interns over two years.  It is one of several USAID programs targeting youth employment and economic growth.