The President of Al-Furat Al-Awsat Technical University, Professor Dr. Hassan Latif Al-Zubaidi, received in his office a delegation from UNICEF Iraq, headed by Ms. Israa Al-Jubouri, Chief of the Adolescent and Youth Support Section, accompanied by Ms. Aseel Al-Hadithi, Youth and Adolescent Programs Officer. The visit aimed to enhance prospects for future scientific and cultural cooperation in order to equip university youth with life and digital skills and to design pathways for sustainable social and economic integration.
The meeting was attended by the Scientific Assistant to the University President, Professor Dr. Ahmed Ghanem Wadai, the Administrative Assistant, Professor Dr. Mohammed Abdulmohsen Al-Mujtami, as well as a number of directors of relevant departments.
During the meeting, the University President delivered a comprehensive presentation outlining the university, its organizational structure, objectives, vision, and future plans. The presentation addressed several key themes, including inclusive education, the labor market, and training programs aimed at qualifying graduates to meet labor market needs. It also highlighted the medical rehabilitation sector and the university’s role in this field through the establishment of the Technical College for Medical Rehabilitation and Prosthetics in Najaf, the Department of Medical Rehabilitation at the College of Health and Medical Technologies in Kufa, and prosthetics manufacturing technologies at the Technical Institute of Kufa.
Furthermore, the presentation emphasized the university’s adoption of entrepreneurial projects for graduates through industrial advisory councils at the university and institutional levels, in line with labor market requirements. It also focused on equipping graduates with soft skills demanded by the market through graduate qualification courses implemented in cooperation with the Najaf Chamber of Industry and the private sector, as well as entrepreneurship training courses in implementation of the Prime Minister’s initiative.
The presentation also addressed the axis of developing technical and vocational education in Iraq by achieving clear partnerships with civil society organizations to enhance expertise and diversify postgraduate study programs, including the establishment of the Higher Institute for Nanotechnology for postgraduate studies, and efforts to develop research and consultancy capacities.
The University President invited UNICEF to collaborate on developing a future roadmap to support sustainable projects, business incubators, and innovation laboratories for training university students and adolescents, fostering graduates’ entrepreneurial projects, and establishing startups under the umbrella of the technological incubator. He expressed hope for cooperation among society, government, and partners to achieve the desired goals.
For her part, Ms. Israa Al-Jubouri stated that training graduate students in life skills, advanced training, teamwork, and scientific research through participatory applied research contributes to activating their intellectual capacities and qualifying them for leadership, inspiration, and positive change within their communities. She emphasized providing them with appropriate tools to unleash their potential, inspire others, and create positive change, in addition to launching digital awareness campaigns to empower graduates to become leaders in their personal and social lives, shape their future vision, face challenges positively, and engage in advanced training on decision-making, enabling them to transfer their knowledge and experience to their peers and demonstrate that practical ideas are capable of making a real difference in society.
Ms. Al-Jubouri expressed her gratitude and appreciation to the University President for the efforts exerted in providing all logistical requirements to create a university environment that achieves environmental, social, and economic sustainability.
At the conclusion of the visit, the University President accompanied the delegation on an inspection tour of the Continuing Education Center and the university’s formations at the Kufa campus, in the presence of the Dean of the Technical Institute of Kufa, Professor Dr. Atheer Kazem Abadi, and the Scientific Assistant Dean, Assistant Professor Dr. Iyad Muslim.
