Thursday March 28th, 2024
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This New Local Campaign Provides Paid Internships for Egyptian Youth

Students can now be selected for a scholarship to learn and receive on-the-job training AND get paid for it.

Staff Writer

On countless occasions, you have had deep and meaningful conversations with your friends about how useless you think school is because you never learn anything you can practically use in the ‘real world’ – referring to life outside of school. You swear you could do a better job at teaching. Why are you intricately studying long division and extended statistics when most of that can a) be done with a calculator and b) doesn't have a use in your Veterinarian career? Why aren’t we learning about managing a business, or about cooking food, or even how to open a bank account? Why must our youth be expelled from the ivory tower only to discover they’re entering a new realm they have never been prepared to deal with?

Food and Beverage giant Americana Group have teamed up with various universities and education institutions like Helwan University and the UK’s largest vocational training institute, City and Guilds, to answer our prayers. They have created a fresh and innovative Dual Education Model where students have the chance to be selected for a scholarship, which allows them to study while they earn an income to support themselves. The aim of the program is to give students the opportunity to become acquainted with the mentality and demands of the job market. It allows them the scope to become fully equipped with what it takes to land a job – especially those who come from disadvantaged backgrounds, or have little access to employment services.

If you’re not familiar with Americana, they are a Kuwait-based food operator and manufacturer; the biggest in the Middle East. You may recognise them through popular restaurant chains like KFC, Pizza Hut, Hardee’s, TGI Friday’s, Red Lobster, Olive Garden, LongHorn, Costa Coffee, and Krispy Kreme. They also manufacture many renowned household brands like California Garden, and staple foods like Americana frozen foods selection, and Americana fava beans.  

Because Americana pride themselves on all things food-related, they are focusing the Dual Education Model on preparing students to be competent in all areas of restaurant operations including restaurant team members, supervisors, managers, as well as agricultural and farm managers. Students will be guided through on-the-job-training for five days a week, attend university for one day, and have one day off. The aim is for graduates to then have the technical, behavioural, leadership, and management skills required to reform the future of the food industry in Egypt, and they get paid for it!

Globally, larger portions of educational institutes are starting to incorporate this kind of work experience-based education programs as a critical component to their curricula, and it seems that Egypt is slowly following suit.

Enrolling in the program is completely free. All you need are great marks and a kick-ass attitude. If you’re in secondary school, you can ask your school about getting involved in the diplomas specific to you. Students who have finished secondary school can apply for the program directly, and selections will be based on merit.

Check out American Group on Facebook to stay up to date.

*The content of this article is sponsored.