The ACTIVE-ATS project’s objective is strengthening TVET teachers’ and trainers’ capacity to work in competence-based TVET, which is implemented in a cooperation with the world of work. The project will enhance the teachers’ and trainers’ competencies in pedagogy, student-centered approach and technical specialist work-based learning. This is done by a) clarifying the teachers’ and trainers’ roles in the new learning culture, b) piloting a pedagogical enhancement programme and c) implementing new kind of collaboration between schools and companies to support technical specialist competence of teachers through work-based learning in TVET. The actions will support both the pedagogical and technical competencies of teachers.The project will be piloted in cooperation with Applied Technology Schools (ATS). The ATS private sector partners will be involved in the activities in several work packages. ATS are the Flagship Brand of Schools by the Ministry of Education and Technical Education (MoETE), which is the biggest TVET provider in Egypt and partner in the project. 5 out of 27 ATS are associate partners in the project. 50 teachers and trainers will take part into pilot activities of the projects. There are altogether 1300 students and 175 staff in these five schools. ATS have competence-based curriculum and implement work-based learning for TVET learners. ATS are included in Egypt’s educational TVET strategy and identified to have potential in other African countries. The commitment of MoETE and ATS enables the grounds for genuine medium and long-term impacts of the project’s outputs.Based on the activities in the project, the partners will prepare guidelines for in-service teachers’ and trainers’ competence development and implementation of work-based TVET for both authority- and school-level use. Guidelines will include the aspects to carry out the engagement of the private sector to promote the relevance of technical and vocational education.

The three-year SGT-MAP aims at development of a master program in smart grid technology through the collaboration between a consortium consists of 4 Eg. and 4 EU partners of different fields; Electrical power and control eng., IT eng., communication eng. All the consortium partners contribute in developing and reviewing program 24 courses. The self study report of the developed program will be prepared and submitted to the national accreditation board in Egypt. A workshop will be organized after developing the teaching materials in order to discuss the future of smart grid and its influence on the proposed program courses contents and review the matching between contents, objective and outcomes before implementation. Related smart grid laboratories are established at EG universities to support the developed courses. Four courses are selected as a professional training courses and the related self study report will be prepared and submitted to a training accreditation board. These courses will be implemented during the program duration. Each course and its related laboratory experiments will be delivered by EU and EG trainers. The courses will be followed by a questionnaire for assessment purposes and quality assurance, which helps in continuous improving of the courses implementation. Moreover, the EU trainer will evaluate the course delivery and transfer his experience to the EG trainer. Another workshop on impact of smart grid will be held in Egypt during the 5th month of third year in order to discuss the smart grid technology impacts and the feedback of the stakeholders’ surveys. The project outcomes are presented at workshop which focuses on the impact of smart grid technology on community. Many information sessions will be organized in order to disseminate the project outcomes and the program activities. This will help in ensuring project sustainability.

The project intends to help modernize heritage education in Egypt and transform it from an antiquarian perspective to a contemporary one through a leap in academic networking, curriculum development, mobility, and a public outreach program using modern teaching methods and technologies. The objectives of the project are (1) establishing an innovative multi-level educational program in Heritage Education that is unique in its setting in being offered by multiple universities, (2) capacity building of university staff, (3) development of supportive teaching materials, (4) provide training and capacity building for school teachers, staff members of related public entities, and other interested parties on a national scale, (5) develop an Outreach Public Program, and (6) create an e-learning heritage platform. The impact of the project includes: the transformation of the outlook of heritage education and the introduction of contemporary and innovative teaching methods, the development of a new program in heritage education, the establishment of a Heritage Education Forum which will have a lasting impact on other universities and heritage institutions and the public at large, and the training of university teaching staff. The project will greatly influence the students who will attend the new courses which are expected to become a regional attraction for students seeking heritage studies education, and will have an impact on advancing heritage research in EG and will allow for international networking. The different activities of the project will also have a long term impact on schools, school teachers and consequently on school students as well as on the heritage industry through the innovations in the field of 3D virtual and augmented reality, mobile applications and 3D printing. The project, in addition, will have an impact on civic society and local communities and the public at large through its website, virtual campus, e-learning, and mobile applications.

Studies on teacher education have underlined the importance of Continuing Professional Development (CPD) that is school based as the proven preferred modality of enhancing teacher education. In the Egyptian context most studies have illustrated that both faculties of education and the Ministry of Education have for the longest of time adhered to very traditional methods of teacher training, which not only wasted resources but also did not lead to any learning or improvement of performance all of which has deterred educational reform at both the higher educational levels as well as school levels. Teacher performance being the key factor for learning has been selected as the most strategic entry point to reform. The aim of this project is to empower Egyptian Faculties of Education to develop modern, innovative and effective models of Continuing Professional Development CPD that is school based and allows for the development of Professional Development PD schools that are sustainable and that will eventually be brought to a larger scale in the Egyptian and regional context. From experiences with international cooperation in particular with the EU it has become apparent that when Egyptian systems are exposed to innovative thinking overtime there tends to be a gradual shift particularly of culture with partnerships that are strong in imparting both clear and tacit knowledge through exchange, dialogue, joint activities and exposure. Change as we well know is incremental and often is the result of transfer through mentors hip as well as conscious reflection. The most significant partnership for the success of this transformation is that between university and school whereby the former equips practitioners with the theory behind their practice.