Scoop Empire Arabic: Technical Education Between Its Importance and Social Perception with Eng. Dr. Soha Heikal
In a detailed interview with ScoopEmpire, Engineer Dr. Soha Heikal, Head of Marketing at the Industry Service Complex at the Arab Academy for Science and Technology, speaks about the past, challenges, and future of technical education in Egypt.
Soha highlights the historical roots of technical education in Egypt dating back to ancient civilizations, where skilled craftsmanship was essential to societal development. She explains how modern technical education began to decline due to social perceptions valuing university degrees over vocational training, which led to a shortage of skilled technicians despite strong industrial needs.
She differentiates between untrained artisans and technically educated technicians, emphasizing that real technicians have deep understanding of machine parts, materials, and diagnostics—skills that factories urgently require. Heikal played a key role in promoting technical education at the Academy’s Technical and Vocational Studies Institute, successfully increasing student enrollment through focused marketing.
The interview also covers efforts to change societal attitudes, including forums and events involving government officials and industrial leaders. She discusses the importance of competitions like the World Skills Challenge to showcase technical talent and motivation for youth.
Heikal contrasts Egypt’s approach with countries like Germany, where dual education systems effectively combine classroom learning with hands-on factory training. She concludes with recommendations for systemic reforms, stronger oversight of vocational programs, and political support for technical education to meet the evolving needs of the labor market.
