The Egyptian government launched this month a first-of-its-kind renewable energy curriculum at technical schools in the southern city of Aswan and the Red Sea resort town of Hurghada, to encourage students to specialize in renewable energy and to train them for jobs in the country’s growing solar and wind power sectors.

The three-year certificate program, which was developed by the Egyptian Ministry of Education and the US Agency for International Development (USAID), seeks to benefit over 300 technical school students. Now being piloted at two technical schools in Aswan and another one in Hurghada, the coursework will also be implemented in 57 schools in nine other governorates.

According to a USAID statement, the program includes “classroom instruction and hands-on, practical experience to produce technicians capable of immediately contributing to the renewable energy sector.”

Ahmed al-Geyoushi, the deputy minister of education for technical and vocational education and training, told local media that the program is part of the state’s plan to link technical education to the needs of the labor market by entering into partnerships with industrialists and investors and providing practical training opportunities for students. He also referred to a large renewable energy project now being carried out in Aswan and said investors in that project need at least 10,000 specialized technicians during the implementation and operation periods.