U.S. Agency for International Development and Ministry of Education Launch Renewable Energy Curriculum

ASWAN, Egypt, February 21, 2018/ — A new curriculum developed by the U.S. Agency for International Development in partnership with the Ministry of Education will help over 300 technical school students in Aswan and Hurghada specialize in renewable energy and prepare them for employment in Egypt’s promising solar and wind power sectors.

This new, three-year diploma program is the first of its kind in Egypt. It supports the Government of Egypt’s plan to meet 20 percent of its electricity needs through renewable energy by 2022. The program will provide skilled labor for power plants such as the Benban Solar Park in Aswan, where 40 solar stations will help meet Egypt’s increasing demands for electricity.

Developed by the Ministry of Education and Technical Education in partnership with USAID, the renewable energy curriculum is being piloted in three technical schools in Aswan and Hurghada and will eventually expand to 57 schools in nine governorates. The coursework combines classroom instruction and hands-on, practical experience to produce technicians capable of immediately contributing to the renewable energy sector.

“The launch of this new curriculum could not be more timely,” said USAID Mission Director Sherry F. Carlin at the program launch in Benban Technical School. “Employers like engineering companies and renewable energy firms need to hire people with skills and experience, and this new technical education program trains students to become skilled technicians who are qualified for these jobs.”

Speakers at the launch ceremony at Benban Technical School in Daraw included Aswan Governor General Magdy Fouad Hegazy and Deputy Minister of Education and Technical Education Dr. Ahmed El Geushey.

This activity is part of the $30 billion that the American people have invested in Egypt through USAID since 1978.