The Egyptian Education Development Fund (EDF) has unveiled the first British-accredited Integrated Technical Education Cluster (ITEC) in Egypt, one of the ten envisaged by the Egyptian government plans by 2015 to meet the needs of key economic sectors, at an event hosted by EDF and Edexcel. Addressing the audience which comprised educators and industry professional, Prof. Essam Elkordi, EDF Secretary General, said that the underlying driving force behind the creation of these clusters is to support Egyptian society as a whole. Ultimately, the clusters will meet the needs of employers and job seekers across Egypt's main industries of engineering technology, food technology, packaging, petrochemicals and wood and textiles. Jailan Gamal El Din, Edexcel Regional Manager added, “The key to the success of these clusters is for all training to be flexible, allowing for the delivery of school-based, college and on-demand courses at different ability levels. Additionally, all training and qualifications will be Edexcel-accredited and globally recognised.” During the event, guests were able to meet with graduates of Edexcel's BTEC Higher National Diploma and view the impressive array of final projects they created from Computer Numerical Control Drilling Machines for Printed Circuit Boards to Electrical Proximity Faucets and Mobile Robots controlled by Programmable Logic Control mechanisms. Jailan Gamal El Din added, “The event helped demonstrate that graduates of the technical education and training system in Egypt are capable of leading the new era of change.” Edexcel and its sister organisation, Pearson Custom Publications, are providing training, qualifications, teaching materials and assessment for the Integrated Technical Education Cluster Project in El Ameeria, Cairo.
