Egypt
The ETF cooperates with and complements the work of the European Commission and the European External Action Service in its support to Egypt.The EU has invested 115 million EUR in two major TVET programmes in recent years in support of educational reform to which the ETF has been strongly involved through engagement with national stakeholders.
The ETF supports policy dialogue with input to bilateral subcommittee meetings, monitoring of European Neighbourhood Policy action plans and annual country updates. The ETF reports on wider human capital developments within the Torino Process, the fifth round of which was launched in Egypt in April 2019. The Torino Process analysis contributes to the programming cycle of the European Union and other donors.
The ETF advises the Delegation of the European Union to Egypt and the Egyptian Technical and Vocational Training (TVET) Programme Implementation Unit (PIU). Focus will be given to sustainability of the TVET programme, the exit strategy and contribution to TVET reforms including quality assurance and a teacher training academy, as well as the technical education reform strategy.
Egypt is a member of the ETF Quality Assurance Forum.
Read our 2025 update on Key policy developments in education, training and employment (ETF, 2025). For a quick overview, see below:
2025 developments at a glance
🏛️ Economic and policy reform: Egypt continues implementing the National Structural Reform Programme (NSRP) and Egypt Vision 2030, with a focus on economic diversification, private-sector development, human capital and job creation. In 2025, Egypt adopted its first National Employment Strategy, while a new Labour Law introduced stronger protections for workers, formalised employment relations and improved safeguards related to contracts, wages and working conditions.
📈 Demographic pressures: Egypt’s population exceeded 114 million, with young people accounting for around 28% of the population. Rapid population growth and a large youth cohort continue to place pressure on education systems, labour markets and public services. Creating sufficient quality jobs remains a critical challenge.
🎓 Education reform: Education reform remains guided by Egypt Vision 2030, the National Strategic Plan for Pre-University Education 2014–2030 and the Education 2.0 initiative. In 2025, amendments to the Education Law introduced an optional Egyptian Baccalaureate alongside the Thanaweya Amma system and formally extended compulsory education through secondary level. Teacher professional development and licensing reforms also advanced.
🏫 Technical vocational education and training (TVET): The Technical Education 2.0 agenda continues to modernise TVET through competency-based curricula, stronger employer engagement and expanded progression opportunities. Applied Technology Schools (ATS) continued to grow, technological universities expanded their offer, and new pathways strengthened links between technical secondary education and higher education.
✅ TVET governance: Quality assurance and qualifications reforms continued through the strengthening of ETQAAN, the development of the National Qualifications Framework, and the work of Sector Skills Councils. Governance coordination has improved, although fragmentation between ministries and institutions remains a challenge.
🛠️ Work-based learning (WBL): Work-based learning continues expanding through the Applied Technology School model, dual education arrangements and employer partnerships. Additional ICT-focused ATSs opened in 2025, while new cooperation agreements with international partners aim to scale applied and workplace learning further across priority economic sectors.
💼 Labour market challenges: Employment levels remain relatively low despite gradual improvement. Employment reached 41.3% in 2024, while unemployment declined to 6.6%. However, labour-market participation remains weak, vulnerable employment remains widespread, and many graduates continue to face difficulties transitioning into decent work. Women continue to face particularly significant barriers to labour market participation.
👦 👧 Youth in focus: The proportion of young people not in employment, education or training (NEETs) declined to 24.6% in 2023, but remains significantly above EU levels. Youth employment remains low, while school-to-work transitions continue to be affected by skills mismatches and limited labour-market opportunities. Employment services, entrepreneurship programmes and digital job-matching platforms are being expanded to improve outcomes.
💻 Digital skills development: Egypt continues to prioritise digital transformation through Education 2.0, the Egyptian Knowledge Bank, expanded digital infrastructure and ICT-focused Applied Technology Schools. In 2025, preparations advanced for the integration of artificial intelligence and advanced digital skills into school curricula, alongside a national consultation on AI competencies for teachers.
🌿 Green skills development: Green transition objectives are increasingly reflected in education and training policies. New environmental competencies curricula are being introduced across technical secondary education, while specialised programmes in renewable energy, environmental technologies, irrigation and climate resilience continue to expand. Centres of competence and technological institutions support skills development for emerging green sectors.
Priorities for 2026
👉 Advance implementation of the National Qualifications Framework, strengthening qualification transparency, progression pathways and quality assurance across education and training systems.
👉 Scale up Applied Technology Schools and employer partnerships to improve labour-market relevance, quality and uptake of technical education.
👉 Strengthen quality assurance mechanisms in TVET through ETQAAN, accreditation processes and stronger use of labour-market outcomes.
👉 Expand opportunities for lifelong learning, adult skills development and recognition of prior learning, particularly for disadvantaged groups and informal workers.
👉 Accelerate digital and green skills development to support economic diversification, innovation and future labour-market needs.