| Project Detail |
SHORT DESCRIPTION:
Overall goal
The aim of this initial project phase, known as the inception phase, is to prepare a strategic partnership for the establishment of a training center for wood processing in Egypt. The training center, designed as a “Center of Excellence”, is intended to serve as a model nationwide for how private companies and public educational institutions can jointly counter the high level of youth unemployment and the growing demand for well-trained skilled workers. The planned strategic partnership is led by Tiroler Felder KG, one of the worlds leading manufacturers of wood processing machines, and the Styrian consulting company Sekem Energy GmbH, which specializes in Egypt, who are implementing the project together with Austrian and Egyptian partners. These include the Austrian Chamber of Commerce,
The initial project phase, which is scheduled to last 18 months, is intended to create a solid basis for the successful implementation of the strategic partnership, for which - depending on the results of the initial phase - a budget of up to € 5 million is being considered.
Expected results
Planned results of the project entry phase are
• the detailed survey of the status quo on the existing market and educational situation in wood processing in Egypt,
• the development of at least three scenarios to set up an independent training company embedded in the Egyptian education system, including economic and technical analyzes and detailed business plans,
• the establishment of a cooperation with the Egyptian education authorities for the recognition of the possible training variants as well
• the establishment of a broad network of educational institutions and companies in the wood processing industry.
Target group / beneficiaries
In the initial phase, the target group includes 15 local wood processing companies willing to participate in the wood competence center, three cooperating public institutions, five local training partners, 25 teachers and 25 schoolchildren as participants in the pilot workshops.
In the long term, 150 young people and 20 teachers are to be trained annually. In the vicinity of Damietta in northern Egypt alone there are 36,000 woodworking workshops with five to six employees each and 250 companies with 50 to 60 employees each, which can benefit from the training offer in the medium term.
Activities
Measures in the initial project phase:
• Comprehensive survey of the framework conditions for training courses on the subject of woodworking in Egypt
• Survey of activities and strategies of other international institutions such as GIZ, KFW, EBRD and UNIDO
• Cooperation with international institutions that are active in the Egyptian education sector
• Development of at least three scenarios for setting up and operating a future independent training company
• Networking of the local wood and training sector through workshops and stakeholder meetings
• Identification of local industrial and training partners for the training company
• Conception of the possible variants of a competence center for integration into the existing training system
• Raising awareness and promoting the woodworking industry by participating in the international craft competition “World Skills” with an Egyptian youth team |
