Cairo, Egypt – From Cairo to Beirut to Sardinia: one room, one mission — building the workforce of tomorrow. The HorizonCraft conference, “Building the Future Workforce: Connecting Skills, Education and Employers across the Mediterranean & Egypt”, came to life in Cairo, and what a day it was.
Every internship is a chance to launch a career, but only if it builds the right skills. Government, academia, industry and civil society came together to make sure every young person gets that chance.
What We Explored
From Classroom to Career
How internships and work-based learning can close the skills gap, prepare young people for AI, digital and green-economy jobs, and align with national TVET reform.
Mobility as Opportunity
Why cross-border internships boost employability, what businesses gain by hosting international young talent, and how intercultural mentorship shapes future-ready professionals.
The sessions were moderated by Dr. Alaa Ezz and Mattia Urru.
A highlight of the day was the Training Certificate Awarding ceremony, celebrating the young people at the heart of this project.
Acknowledgements
Huge thanks to our HorizonCraft project partners, and especially the lead partner Associazione TDM 2000 and our dear colleagues from Have A Dream. The project is co-funded by the European Union under the Interreg NEXT MED Programme:
- CEEBA – Confederation of Egyptian European Business Associations (Egypt)
- Have A Dream (Egypt)
- Associazione TDM 2000 (Italy)
- Confartigianato Imprese Sud Sardegna (Italy)
- Chamber of Commerce, Industry and Agriculture of Beirut and Mount Lebanon (Lebanon)
- MIDAL Organization (Lebanon)
A special thank you to Dr. Rasha Fathy, Director General, Technical Education at the Ministry of Education and Technical Education; Mr. Tamer Riad, BAVARIA Egypt S.A.E.; Dr. May Salah, Arab Academy for Science, Technology and Maritime Transport; Adly Wagih Thoma, MSc, MPM, PMP, Gemini Africa; Dr. Ahmed El-Ashmawi; and all our speakers and young professionals who shared bold ideas and real-world experience.
The future workforce won’t build itself. It takes partnerships across borders, sectors and generations, and this conference proved that the Mediterranean is ready.
Learn more about the project here:
