The Ministry of Communications and Information Technology (MCIT) has announced new partnerships with major international technology developers to boost Egyptian digital competences as part of the Digital Egypt Builders initiative (DEBI).

The companies signing MoUs with MCIT are IBM, Cisco, VMWare, Microsoft, and Amazon Web Services.

The partnerships will support the initiative’s goals to strengthen students’ technical skills, spread awareness of the latest trends in digital technologies, provide opportunities for vocational training, and award accredited certificates, all of which will prepare students for the job market.

This comes within the framework of the activation and implementation of the DEBI initiative, which is a grant by the state for graduates of the Faculties of Engineering, Computers and Information to obtain a professional master's in the fields of artificial intelligence, data science, cybersecurity, robotics and automation, and digital arts.

Amr Talaat, Minister of Communications and Information Technology, stressed that the signing is a step forward in the field of capacity building, a major focus of the ministry’s strategy to further develop a Digital Egypt.

He notes that the Digital Egypt Builders initiative provides a unique model for fruitful cooperation between the government and international companies operating in the fields of technology in Egypt to bridge the professional gap in the sector.

It will also contribute to a generation of specialized professionals through technical and practical training by international companies to provide students with practical experience and skills to join these companies, he added.

Talaat highlighted that the initiative is free of charge, and will contribute to making Egypt a regional center in the communications and information technology industry.

Partnering with the initiative includes four main axes; spreading awareness of the latest ICT technologies and creating practical workshops, seminars and hackathons, providing professional training and accredited certificates, by offering training opportunities for students participating in the initiative, and connecting students to the market by providing access to professional networks and job opportunities for graduates.

The ministry explained that the cooperation with IBM Egypt aims to qualify students who are selected by the ministry to join the Egyptian Digital Builders initiative using the latest modern technologies of IBM such as artificial intelligence, data science, data analysis and the Internet of things, through the IBM Academic Skills Platform IBM Skills Academy, and IBM Digital Nation Africa to develop their digital capabilities.

The ministry highlighted IBM Egypt’s participation in initiating awareness lectures in the fields of advanced technology, providing vocational training and awarding certificates to learners, and organizing a hackathon competition at the end of training for the distinguished and linking them to the labor market.

Wael Abdoush, General Manager of IBM Egypt, said that investing in the development of human resources is one of the most important priorities of IBM, which has a wide range of programs and initiatives for youth of all ages, which the company applies at the global level.

The cooperation with Cisco Egypt aims to empower students and faculty in the field of cybersecurity by offering an integrated program based on the curricula of the Cisco Networking Academy and obtaining accredited certificates from the Academy, according to the ministry.

Ayman El Gohary, General Manager and CEO of Cisco Egypt, affirmed their commitment to support initiatives to develop the technical capabilities of youth, and we look forward to enhancing our contribution to the success of the social and economic development efforts in Egypt.

Under this agreement, the initiative will also become a partner of the VMware Academy for Information Technology, which allows it to benefit from all educational and training programs and courses provided by the Academy, and to present them through its website.

The cooperation with Microsoft aims to provide educational technology courses for the students of the initiative, train students in cybersecurity skills, in addition to a training course on data science and artificial intelligence, and organize a group of hackathons for students to solve life problems and challenges using technology, as well as linking graduates of the Digital Egypt Builders Initiative With Microsoft's business partner network for potential business opportunities;

The ministry stated that cooperation with Amazon Web Services (AWS) will allow participants to take advantage of Amazon Web Services content, a range of training programs and remote workshops, as well as certification pathways from AWS, to support youth readiness and readiness in Egypt.