Jerusalem | Under the auspices of Al-Quds University (AQU) President Professor Imad Abu Kishek, along with the attendance of a German delegation, the Faculty of Dual Studies opens its new laboratories on the main campus. The new laboratories were funded by the German government through GIZ and KFW.

The opening ceremony was attended by AQU’s vice presidents, Dean of the Faculty of Dual Studies, Palestinian Ambassador to Germany, and representatives of the private sector.

Prof. Imad Abu Kishk praised the program for the vital role it plays in bridging the gap between academic education and the labor market by allowing the students the opportunity to learn and train simultaneously and find a job at an early stage.

President Abu Kishek stressed the importance of enhancing cooperation between AQU and both the Palestinian private sector and the partner German companies in order to provide more training opportunities for the Dual Studies students.

Deputy Director General for the Near East at the German Ministry of Economic Cooperation and Development, Mr. ‘Volker Oel’, remarked that the experience of Dual Studies is important to qualify students for competition and development academically and professionally, as it includes an educational aspect of great importance, pledging to offer further support to the program.

Palestinian Ambassador to Germany, H.E. Mr. Laith Arafeh expressed his appreciation of the ongoing cooperation between AQU and the German government that is represented in the Dual Studies program, offering his gratitude to those in charge of the program from both sides.

Dean of the Faculty of Dual Studies Dr. Isam Ishaq presented a brief on the history of the Dual Studies programs and the number of enrolled students and partner companies, noting that there are now over two hundred companies that offer training to AQU’s students.

For his part, the Director General of Dannoun Trading for Industrial Electricity, Mr. Issa Dannoun, spoke about the importance of the opportunity offered by the program to the private sector, stressing the companies’ interest in expanding cooperation with Al-Quds University to receive a larger number of trainers.

The Dual Studies program at Al-Quds University is the first of its kind in the region. It follows the German model in combining theoretical education at academic with practical application in the labor market. Since its inception in 2015, it has graduated several cohorts that were equipped with the skills to join the work force. The program is based on the German and is implemented at Al-Quds University with full support from the German government that is presented in cooperation with the German International Cooperation Agency “GIZ”, the German Development Bank “KFW”. Four academic programs are now offered, including Electrical Engineering, Industrial Engineering, Business Administration, and Information Technology and Digital Business.