With a new liaison office in Cairo, Saxony is strengthening academic exchange and the targeted recruitment of specialists in North Africa.
Saxony thinks internationally when it comes to securing skilled workers and is focusing on North Africa. With the establishment of the new Saxon Science Liaison Office (SSLO) in Cairo, Saxony's five state universities of applied sciences (HAW) are specifically strengthening academic exchange and the recruitment of specialists beyond 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 university Zittau/Görlitz (HSZG), the consortium includes the Dresden University of Applied Sciences, the Leipzig University of Applied Sciences, the Mittweida University of Applied Sciences and the West Saxon University of Applied Sciences Zwickau.
There are solid demographic and economic reasons why Egypt was chosen: With over 100 million inhabitants and more than three million students, the country is one of the most important educational locations in the region. Around 800,000 young people enter the labor market there every year. A large proportion of them choose to study STEM subjects such as engineering and computer science, exactly the disciplines in which Saxony's economy is urgently looking for young talent. In addition, the language skills are very good: around 400,000 Egyptians are currently learning German.
Saxony needs qualified international talent and Egypt has a great potential of good educated young people. With the liaison office in Cairo, we are creating the structural conditions to harness this potential for studies and the job market in the long term.
”The new SSLO will be located directly in the branch office of the German Academic Exchange Service (DAAD) in Cairo. This will create a reliable administrative framework from the outset and provide direct access to the key players in German-Egyptian academic cooperation.
The political foundations of the cooperation were laid recently(news article): During a delegation trip, Rector Prof. Kratzsch accompanied the Prime Minister of Saxony, Michael Kretschmer, to Egypt. On site, they signed cooperation agreements with the newly founded Saxony Egypt University for Applied Science & Technology (SEU). With its orientation towards the German university model, this university is structurally very close to the HAWs in Saxony and represents an important strategic partner.
The strategy of the HAW consortium goes far beyond traditional student exchanges. The core task of the SSLO is the development of double degree programs with compatible study structures. What sounds theoretical has a clear practical benefit: Students are already prepared academically in Egypt for the requirements of Saxon universities.
This benefits all sides:
Academic training is thus directly linked to regional labor market integration.
After locations in Taiwan, Vietnam, India, Uzbekistan, Mongolia and Chile, the liaison office in Cairo is already the seventh Saxon representative office of its kind. Together, the universities of applied sciences are thus strengthening Saxony's international network and making an important contribution to securing skilled workers in the future.
Preparations are currently underway to make the office operational. Regional companies and university partners who would like to actively participate are cordially invited to network with us.
For further information on the "Saxon Egypt University Partnership" project and specific cooperation opportunities, please contact
Prof. Dr. Alexander Kratzsch Project Management, Rector of Zittau/Görlitz University of Applied Sciences
Susanne Fentzel Project Coordination Saxon-Egyptian University Partnership, Zittau/Görlitz University of Applied Sciences
