Engineer Kamel Al-Wazir, Deputy Prime Minister for Industrial Development and Minister of Industry and Transport, inaugurated the graduation ceremony of the first class of Abu Zaabal Industrial Development School, held at the National Museum of Egyptian Civilization, under the patronage of Dr. Mostafa Madbouly, Prime Minister of Egypt.

The ceremony was attended by Engineer Mohamed Shimi, Minister of Public Business Sector; Alaa Farouk, Minister of Agriculture and Land Reclamation; Engineer Ayman Attia, Governor of Qalyubia; representatives of Polyserve Group for Fertilizers led by Dr. Sherif El-Gebaly, Chairman of the Group; as well as ambassadors from several countries, heads of industrial chambers, members of the Federation of Egyptian Industries, and members of the House of Representatives.

At the beginning of his speech, the Deputy Prime Minister for Industrial Development and Minister of Industry expressed his pleasure in participating in the celebration of the first graduating class of Abu Zaabal Industrial Development School. He described the school as a distinguished national model of cooperation between the government and the private sector in preparing skilled technical professionals to support Egyptian industry.

He also extended his appreciation to Polyserve Group for Fertilizers, led by Dr. Sherif El-Gebaly and Dr. Abdel Salam El-Gebaly, for their dedicated efforts and national vision in supporting applied technical education. The group established the Industrial Development Secondary School within the Ferchem Egypt for Fertilizers and Chemicals plant in Abu Zaabal, in full coordination with the Productivity and Vocational Training Authority of the Ministry of Industry.

The minister emphasized that this pioneering partnership represents a practical example of the government’s goal to connect technical education with real industrial practice, transforming factories into learning environments and schools into real production settings where young people learn the values of work, discipline, and craftsmanship.

He noted that Abu Zaabal Industrial Development School is not merely a place of education but an integrated training and production system, offering several specializations including mechanical maintenance, electrical maintenance, automation, and chemistry—fields considered essential to modern industry.

The minister added that Egypt’s strong focus on technical and applied education comes in line with the directives of President Abdel Fattah El-Sisi, who has repeatedly stressed that industrial development begins with building a skilled and qualified workforce. Accordingly, the Ministry of Industry has been tasked with rebuilding the industrial technical education system in cooperation with the private sector so that schools and training centers become platforms for preparing talent capable of leading the future of Egyptian industry.

He highlighted that initiatives such as the Abu Zaabal Industrial Development School demonstrate that the national private sector is a genuine partner in development, contributing not only to production but also to workforce training and capability building needed by factories.

Addressing the graduates, the minister said they represent the successful outcome of cooperation between the state and the private industrial sector. He described them as a new generation of Egyptian technicians who studied in a real working environment and gained experience, discipline, and responsibility. He added that working in industry is not merely a job but a mission of honor and responsibility, as every product bearing the label “Made in Egypt” reflects both the graduates and their nation.

The minister also explained that since assuming responsibility for the Ministry of Industry—alongside the Ministry of Transport—and following the formation of the Ministerial Group for Industrial Development, an urgent plan was launched to advance Egyptian industry. The plan focuses on seven key pillars, including:

• Deepening local manufacturing to reduce imports

• Expanding the industrial base to increase exports

• Restarting idle and struggling factories

• Improving the quality of Egyptian products to compete locally and globally

• Creating employment through productive industries

• Supporting digital transformation

• Expanding green industries

He stressed that training and qualifying technical labor remains one of the most important priorities. In this context, the Ministry of Industry has allocated 43 training centers affiliated with the Productivity and Vocational Training Authority for private sector companies to manage and operate, helping to produce qualified and well-trained workers.

The ministry is also working to restructure training stations not located within factories and instead establish training centers inside industrial facilities, ensuring that training is directly linked to real production environments.

The minister concluded by reaffirming the government’s commitment to expanding such successful experiences in cooperation with serious national investors, establishing specialized training stations within major factories across different sectors to ensure integration between education and production.

He thanked everyone who contributed to the success of this initiative, including Ferchem Egypt for Fertilizers and Chemicals, the Productivity and Vocational Training Authority, trainers, supervisors, and graduates whose dedication and achievements have brought pride to Egypt.

At the end of the ceremony, the Deputy Prime Minister for Industrial Development and Minister of Industry and Transport presented 22 graduation certificates to the school’s graduates and 9 employment contracts within Polyserve Group for Fertilizers to graduates who had reached the age of 18.