Mountain View Foundation has inaugurated the Mountain View International Applied Technology School (IATS) in New Obour City, Invest-Gate reports.

This groundbreaking institution is the first of its kind, offering specialized education in facilities and landscape management.

The school’s opening ceremony was graced by esteemed guests, including Ambassador Herro Mustafa Garg, the US Ambassador to Egypt; Mr. Sean Jones, Director of the Mission of the United States Agency for International Development in Egypt (USAID); Dr. Amr Basila, Head of the Central Administration for the Development of Technical Education at the Ministry of Education and Technical Education; and key members of the USAID’s Workforce Egypt project’s senior management.

Eng. Amr Soliman, Founder and Chairman of Mountain View Developments, as well as members of the Board of Trustees of Mountain View Foundation, a group of businessmen specializing in facilities management, were also in attendance, along with the newly accepted students.

The establishment of IATS is the result of collaboration between the Ministry of Education and Technical Education, the Workforce Egypt project funded by USAID, and the Mountain View Foundation.

The school’s launch is part of Mountain View Foundation’s commitment to fortifying Egypt’s technical education system and addressing the country’s demand for skilled technical professionals, thanks to the unwavering support from its partners in this pioneering initiative.

Eng. Amr Soliman, Founder and Chairman of Mountain View Developments, expressed his thoughts on the school’s opening, stating, “Today’s inauguration of IATS marks a significant milestone in Egypt’s applied technology and specialized technical education system. This achievement would not have been possible without the joint efforts of the Mountain View Foundation, the Ministry of Education and Technical Education, and the invaluable support from USAID. I extend my heartfelt gratitude and appreciation to all involved.”

Soliman further emphasized, “The establishment of IATS aligns with the government’s vision to expand applied technology schools and reach a total of 100 schools by 2030, catering to the labor market’s requirements across various technical specializations.”

For her part, the US Ambassador to Egypt Herro Mustafa Garg said, “I would like to commend the Egyptian government and our partners in the private sector for thinking outside the box and implementing the IATS model. Together, we can prepare students and equip them with the skills that they need for the job market. Our shared commitment to IATS helps Egyptian youth enter the workforce, enables them to gain the skills they need for employment, and promotes economic growth nationwide.”

Dr. Amr Basila, Head of the Central Administration for the Development of Technical Education at the Ministry of Education and Technical Education, said that the opening of the Mountain View International Applied Technology School helps achieve the government’s vision, seeking to expand applied technology schools to meet the demands of the labor market in all technical specializations.

Mohamed Fawzy, Director of USAID’s Workforce Egypt project, explained that for the first time in Egypt, facility management will be taught in the school through a competency-based curriculum. He pointed out that the American agency collaborated with Mountain View to design the curriculum to teach students an integrated system that connects all operational systems, such as electricity, plumbing, fire alarms and firefighting mechanisms, swimming pools, green spaces along with communication skills and dealing with customers, to prepare graduates of the Mountain View International Applied Technology School for the labor market.

Ahmed ElMoursy, Vice Chairman of the Board of Trustees of the Mountain View Foundation for Development, said “When planning to develop the school’s educational curriculum, we were determined to provide an integrated education such that the school would not only prepare students for the labor market, but for life itself with its practical, human and personal aspects. Therefore, the educational curriculum includes lectures and panel discussions on the science of happiness and improving mental health, while studying the effect of isolation and loneliness on the immune system, as well as the effect of optimism on life expectancy and the reward center in the brain.”