AUC and USAID Celebrate the Inauguration of Aswan University Center for Career Development

The American University in Cairo (AUC) celebrated today the opening of the Aswan University Center for Career Development (UCCD), with the support of the US Agency for International Development (USAID).  The inauguration of Aswan University Center for Career Development was attended by the Minister of Higher Education and Scientific Research, Khaled Abdel Ghaffar, Director of USAID/Egypt, Sherry Carlin, AUC President Francis Ricciardone, AUC Counselor, Ashraf Hatem, Governor of Aswan, Ashraf Attia, Secretary General of the Supreme Council of Universities, Mohamed Lotaief and Aswan University President, Ahmed Ghallab. The University Centers for Career Development project aims to provide career guidance, employability skills and technical training to bridge the gap between the outputs of university education and the needs of the labor market.  The UCCD project also helps students find job opportunities or create their own jobs through entrepreneurial initiatives.

Minister of Higher Education and Scientific Research Khaled Abdel Ghaffar said in his speech at the inauguration of the center: “The UCCD centers are of great importance, not only in Egypt but all over the world as there is a gap between labor market needs and academic education.”

UCCD through partnership with The International Labor Organization (ILO), will identify gaps in the local markets to help the universities integrate them in their curricula. Abdel Ghaffar added that these studies can be complemented with more specialized professional studies to map the needs of the Egyptian labor market.

In his speech, AUC President Francis Ricciardone said: “I am proud to join Minister Khaled Abdel Ghaffar and presidents of Egyptian Universities today in celebrating the opening of Aswan UCCD. We are pleased to work in partnership with Egypt's national universities in the UCCD Project which extends from Aswan to Alexandria. This project enhances the employability of university graduates, creates communication channels between the universities and the labor market, and thus contributes to the Egyptian economy. UCCD project is another milestone in AUC’s 100 years of service to Egypt. I thank the USAID who made this project possible, as a gift from the American people.”

Aswan University President, Ahmed Ghallab said: “The newly-born Aswan University is taking great steps towards its rightful place among the best universities not only in Egypt but also globally.” Ghallab added that the University was ranked as one of the best 500 universities in the world and came in the 8th ranking in the Arab World according to the World University Rankings and also ranked 300 in areas such as sustainable development and energy.

Ghallab also said: “Today, we celebrate a new achievement as we launch the UCCD in cooperation with USAID and AUC to serve the students and graduates by empowering them and increasing their professionalism and competitiveness in their job search or in starting projects that will have significant impact on Aswan governorate.”

The project aims to empower around one million students from public universities by providing career guidance, employability and entrepreneurial skills to increase graduates’ competitiveness through 21 UCCDs in 14 universities in Greater Cairo, Delta and Upper Egypt. UCCDs have been launched in the past months and operating in the universities of Minia, Beni-Sueif, Alexandria, Sadat, Mansoura, Sohag, Zagazig and Menoufia.

To ensure the sustainability of the career development centers and its career services, AUC team will train and certify the staff of Aswan University as Career Service Providers who are capable of providing career guidance services to university students. 

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