Opening of the Employment Forum at Cairo University to support youth empowerment and achieve sustainable development

For years, university education was based on transferring academic knowledge, but now it is required to have a more integrated role based on preparing cadres capable of adapting to the requirements of practical reality, through acquiring applied skills and enhancing professional readiness, in line with modern development paths and comprehensive Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), supportingempowering youthand raising their readiness for the labor market.

Therefore, Egyptian universities are moving towards establishing effective partnerships with various production and business sectors, in an attempt to bridge the gap between educational outcomes and market needs, which is embodied in the holding of employment and training forums, which represent a direct platform for linking students and graduates with job and qualification opportunities, which reflects a clear trend towards building an educational system more linked to development and the labor market.

Cairo University Annual Employment Forum

With this in mind, Dr. Abdel Aziz Qanswa, Minister of Higher Education and Scientific Research, Dr. Ahmed Al-Ansari, Governor of Giza, and Dr. Mohamed Sami Abdel-Sadiq, President of Cairo University, opened the activities of the annual employment and training forum at Cairo University, which is considered the largest of its kind, with the participation of about 130 international and local companies and institutions within the framework of youth empowerment and vocational qualification.

In his speech, Dr. Abdel Aziz Qanswa expressed his happiness at participating in this event within one of the most prestigious national educational institutions that played a pivotal role in building the Egyptian human being, praising Cairo University as a beacon of science and knowledge, and a source of graduating generations capable of giving and competing in various fields of work, stressing the pivotal role of Egyptian universities in achieving sustainable development.

Linking education with labor market requirements

The Minister pointed out that the study programs offered in the various tributaries of the higher education system are being reviewed through a current committee, to update them according to the requirements of the labor market and the various development sectors, especially the industrial sector, which is considered a comprehensive sector that includes various productive fields in line with the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), especially Goal (16) peace, justice, and strong institutions, Goal (8) decent work and economic growth, and Goal (9) industry, innovation, and infrastructure.

The minister explained that holding the forum reflects an advanced awareness of the importance of linking educational outcomes with the needs of the labor market, as it is one of the basic pillars of the Egyptian state strategy, which is being implemented under the auspices of President Abdel Fattah El-Sisi, President of the Republic, with the aim of building a knowledge-based economy and maximizing the use of youth energies, noting the importance of partnership between educational institutions, productive sectors and government agencies, ensuring the preparation of a graduate who possesses academic knowledge along with applied skills and the ability to innovate and adapt to requirements. The future.

Establishing an integrated educational system

In his speech, Dr. Mohamed Sami Abdel Sadiq, President of Cairo University, stressed that the Employment and Training Forum clearly reflects the university’s orientation towards establishing an integrated educational system that works to employ them and transform them into real opportunities that contribute to supporting development and building the future. He pointed out that holding this forum, with the participation of about 130 companies and institutions, and providing more than 5,000 training and employment opportunities, is a clear message of confidence from the business community in the quality of Cairo University graduates, and in Their ability to contribute effectively to various sectors of the economy.

The President of Cairo University also affirmed that the forum is an integrated environment for training and qualification, allowing our students and graduates to interact directly with experts, acquire the necessary skills, and understand the requirements of the labor market in a realistic and practical way. He pointed out the university’s full commitment to empowering our children with disabilities and integrating them into training and employment paths, out of belief in their abilities and keen to achieve equal opportunities, which is reflected in allocating supportive opportunities and programs for them within this forum, in line with The tenth goal, which is based on reducing inequalities.

In light of these facts, the Employment Forum at Cairo University is a regular event to provide decent job opportunities in line with youth empowerment. It also reflects the mutual trust between the university and the business sectors, a trust that is built on the graduate’s readiness and ability to immediately integrate into the work environment, which contributes significantly to achieving comprehensive Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).

In turn,The Earth Guards Foundation confirms that this model reveals a growing awareness that the gap between education and the labor market has become a development issue linked to the efficiency of human capital investment, especially in light of the rapid economic and technological transformations. Hence, the importance of the directions proposed by Cairo University emerges that go beyond the boundaries of the forum itself, through modernizing programs, strengthening partnerships, and integrating training into the core of the educational experience, which ultimately leads us to bring about a real transformation in empowering youth and achieving comprehensive Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).