Saxony builds bridge to North Africa

Saxony is taking an international approach to securing a skilled workforce and is focusing on North Africa. By establishing the new Saxon Science Liaison Office (SSLO) in Cairo, Saxony’s five state-run universities of applied sciences (HAWs) are specifically strengthening academic exchange and the recruitment of skilled workers from outside Europe.

For the first time, a consortium of Saxony’s HAWs is taking on the coordinating role for such a liaison office abroad. In addition to the lead institution, Zittau/Görlitz University of Applied Sciences(HSZG), the consortium includes Dresden University of Applied Sciences, Leipzig University of Applied Sciences, Mittweida University of Applied Sciences, and West Saxon University of Applied Sciences in Zwickau.

There are solid demographic and economic reasons for choosing Egypt: With over 100 million residents and more than three million students, the country is one of the region’s most important centers of education. Each year, approximately 800,000 young people enter the labor market there. A large proportion of them choose STEM fields such as engineering and computer science—precisely the disciplines in which Saxony’s economy is urgently seeking new talent. Added to this is a very good linguistic foundation: Around 400,000 Egyptians are currently learning German.

The new SSLO will be based directly at the Cairo branch office of the German Academic Exchange Service (DAAD). This will provide a reliable administrative framework from the outset and open up direct access to the key players in German-Egyptian academic cooperation.

The political foundation for this cooperation was laid recently (news article): During a delegation trip, Rector Prof. Kratzsch accompanied Saxony’s Minister President Michael Kretschmer to Egypt. While there, they signed cooperation agreements with the newly founded Saxony Egypt University for Applied Science & Technology (SEU). With its focus on the German higher education model, this university shares significant structural similarities with Saxony’s universities of applied sciences and represents an important strategic partner.

The HAW Consortium’s strategy goes far beyond traditional student exchange programs. The SSLO’s core mission is to develop dual-degree programs with compatible academic structures. What may sound theoretical has a clear practical benefit: Students are academically prepared for the requirements of Saxon universities while still in Egypt.

This benefits all parties:

• Regional companies gain access to qualified young talent early on
• International students receive a practice-oriented education with long-term prospects for remaining in the Free State
• Universities and administrative bodies establish sustainable international structures

Academic education is thus directly linked to integration into the regional labor market.

Following locations in Taiwan, Vietnam, India, Uzbekistan, Mongolia, and Chile, the liaison office in Cairo is already Saxony’s seventh representative office of this kind. Working together, the universities of applied sciences are thus strengthening Saxony’s international network and making an important contribution to securing a future supply of skilled workers.