The Ministry of Education launches the closing event of the project "Advanced Competencies for Teachers (ACTIVE-ATS)"
The Ministry of Education and Technical Education launched the closing event of the project "Advanced Competencies for Teachers to Improve Vocational Education in Applied Technology Schools (ACTIVE-ATS)", over two days, in light of the directives of Mr. Mohamed Abdel Latif, Minister of Education and Technical Education, to pay attention to and expand applied technology schools, given that they are a successful model for specialized schools that rely on cooperation with the private sector to meet its needs for specialized technical cadres.
The events were attended by Dr. Mohamed Abdel Rahman, member of the Advisory Committee for the Development of Technical Education, Dr. Rasha Sharaf, Professor of Comparative and International Education and Educational Administration at the Faculty of Education, Helwan University and Secretary General of the Education Development Fund at the Cabinet, Dr. Karita Cruz, Senior Consultant at Hamak University of Applied Sciences in Finland, Dr. Daniel Klee from the German company IHKPG, Ms. Shaimaa Mamdouh, Deputy Director of the Operation and Management Unit of Applied Technology Schools, and a group of international partners and project leaders.
In a recorded speech, Dr. Amr Basila, Head of the Central Administration for the Development of Technical Education and Director of the Operation and Management Unit of Applied Technology Schools, expressed his happiness at launching the closing event in cooperation between the Ministry of Education and Technical Education, Helwan University, and Hamak University in Finland, noting that this cooperation had a great impact in preparing a distinguished group of teachers at the level of technical education, especially applied technology schools, and the number of teachers reached more than 44 teachers in all different specializations.
Dr. Amr Basila appreciated the efforts of Helwan University and Hamak University in Finland in developing a methodology for distinguished training programs that led to a noticeable increase in the level of teachers participating in the training courses who became professional trainers who can transfer their experiences to their colleagues, pointing out that this activity confirms that this cooperation has resulted in a great positive revolution that can be built upon in the coming periods.
For his part, Dr. Mohamed Abdel Rahman, a member of the Advisory Committee for the Development of Technical Education, reviewed the history of the project, appreciating the constructive role of the late Dr. Mohamed Megahed, former Deputy Minister of Technical Education in the field of applied technology, Hamak University and representatives of applied technology schools, as the number of schools was 27 schools, and external engineers were hired to teach in these schools for some specializations in which there was a deficit, then the project was prepared to raise their efficiency in the educational aspect.
He added that the project aims to raise the efficiency of teachers, whether working in education or outside it, and to teach the educational aspect, as the idea was submitted in 2021, and the project began in December 2022, and is being completed in December 2024, noting that the results of the project are being studied and the impact in raising efficiency and achieving the educational impact for 44 teachers is being measured, in partnership with the European Union and the Finnish side and partners to continue the project.
For her part, Dr. Rasha Sharaf, Professor of Comparative and International Education and Educational Administration at the Faculty of Education, Helwan University and Secretary-General of the Education Development Fund at the Cabinet, expressed her happiness with this project, which lasted for two years, as it began in January 2023 and ends in December 2024. Humak University in Finland is the coordinating body for the project, and the project aims to build capacities through partners represented by the Ministry of Education, Helwan University, Humak University in Finland, and the German company.
Dr. Rasha Sharaf pointed out that Helwan University has prepared three reports, which are defining the role of the technical education teacher based on international experiences, Egyptian heritage and Egyptian research in this field, studies and surveys with schools and industry and their training needs, and directing the current need in the field of industry and training, praising the capabilities and abilities of teachers in the field of artificial intelligence, virtual reality, and augmented reality, and their application and exploitation through appropriate support and training.
In the same context, Dr. Karita Cruz, Senior Consultant at Hamak University of Applied Sciences in Finland, stressed that efficiency is related to the ability to use knowledge and skills to implement work tasks and achieve the targeted results within a specific time frame, which was clearly achieved in this project, explaining that European participation, especially from the Finnish side, relied on the concept of student-centered learning, while the German side focused on the philosophy of work-based learning.
For his part, Dr. Daniel Klee reviewed the role of the German company in the project, which is represented in managing the training work, and providing recommendations related to on-the-job training, adding that the teachers visited the workplaces, and started training according to a guide for workplace instructions.
Dr. Daniel Klee explained that Germany includes 81 chambers of industry and commerce, where the IHK represents about 45 thousand institutions, of which 4000 institutions are registered in the dual system in Germany, explaining that the number of German companies contributing to the education and training of technical education students reaches 260 thousand supporting companies.
For her part, Ms. Shaimaa Mamdouh, Deputy Director of the Operation and Management Unit of Applied Technology Schools, expressed her thanks to those in charge of the project, the participants in the closing events, and all the teachers participating in attending the training and activities, stressing that the training program was designed and implemented according to the actual needs of schools, school principals, teachers, industrial partners and the labor market, which were identified in cooperation with Helwan University and Applied Technology Schools.
Ms. Shaimaa Mamdouh reviewed the idea of the training program, its executive frameworks, its activities, and the schools in which it was implemented, to work on publishing it on social media and disseminating it in schools so that teachers and students of technical education and applied technology can benefit from it, explaining that the main goal of the project is to enhance the ability of teachers and trainers of technical education and technical and vocational training to work in the field of competency-based education and training, which is implemented in cooperation with the labor sector, and that the project works to enhance the competencies of teachers and trainers through modern teaching methods, and clarifying the roles of teachers and trainers in the new education culture, as well as the approach that focuses on students through the experience of the educational enhancement program, and through learning based on specialized technical work and implementing a new type of cooperation between the school and companies and supporting the specialized technical competencies of teachers through learning based on vocational and technical education and training.
The first day of the event included a comprehensive presentation of the most prominent training activities and workshops achieved throughout the project period, in addition to presenting practical models that illustrate how to guide students during their practical training, and ensure achieving the best educational and training results for them.
The second day of the event included presentations under the title "Aligning Technical Education with Labor Market Needs" by Volkswagen School and Al-Shaarawy School of Applied Technology, and presentations by the principals of the five schools participating in the project under the title "The Impact of Project Development Activities in Applied Technology Schools".
It is worth noting that the project aims to train teachers and supervisors of applied technology schools on the latest curricula, methods and educational tools, and focuses on disseminating and exchanging experiences and good practices in the field of vocational and technological education, which contributes to preparing educational cadres capable of keeping pace with modern developments in this field. The project includes enhancing cooperation between schools and private sector companies to ensure the provision of a practical training environment for students, helping them develop the professional skills required in the labor market.
At the end of the event, the results of the project and recommendations were presented, which included applying the experiment to all teachers of applied technology schools, making the program available to the largest number of teachers so that new technical skills can be learned and transferred to all applied technology schools, and expanding the scope of training to include all applied technology schools for application in the educational process.