Orange Egypt and the Elsewedy Technical Academy (STA), affiliated to the Elsewedy Electric Foundation, have signed a cooperation agreement to provide students with information and communications technology educational scholarships for three years.
The scholarships will be provided as part of an integrated educational and training programme, in an effort to prepare a batch of well-trained young Egyptians with the latest labour market requirements.
The scholarships sponsored by Orange, a leading provider of integrated telecommunications services, will be granted to students who hold a preparatory certificate. They will be implemented at the STA for dual education and training, under the supervision of the Ministry of Education and Technical Education.
The scholarships educational programmes are divided according to two pathways, namely a theoretical one, accounting for 20%, and a practical one, according for 80%. The programmes have been divided as such given the importance of practical implications in communicating information to students.
Orange Egypt will also offer practical training for students at the STA as part of the training plan, which aims to boost the students’ skills. Moreover, students will also have the chance to visit Orange’s headquarters to familiarise themselves with the latest technologies used in the technology field and explore how it works.
The scholarships include providing the necessary educational materials for enrolled students, uniforms, transportation, healthy and high-quality meals aligned with health and quality standards.
Once they graduate, students will be granted two certificates, the first of which is a technical diploma accredited by the Ministry of Education and Technical Education. The second is a certificate of competencies accredited by the Omnia Education Partnerships International (OEP) in Finland.
Commenting on this occasion, Orange Egypt CEO Yasser Shaker expressed his pleasure on the collaboration with the STA, the first Egyptian academy specialised in technical education, to launch this educational programme.
Shaker also highlighted the importance of cooperation and solidarity among corporations in the field of social responsibility, where they can support Egypt initiatives and efforts in many sectors, the most important of which is education.
“Orange always pays considerable attention to investing in youth, especially in education and training areas, as this contributes to providing the appropriate qualification for the youth to meet the labour market requirements,” he said, “Moreover, such programmes help to build up humans who are capable of invention and development in various fields, which will accordingly help in reducing the unemployment rates, reinforce employment opportunities and attract more investments to the Egyptian market.”
For his part, Ahmed El Sewedy, Head of the Board of Trustees at the Elsewedy Electric Foundation, said “Elsewedy Electric has always focused our efforts in supporting education as we firmly believe it’s the cornerstone of a thriving society.”
He added, “We are exceptionally honoured to add a distinctive value to benefit STA students through collaborating with Orange to introduce the field of ICT in dual education, for the first time in Egypt with international certification and benchmark.”