Egypt's ability to fulfill present and forecast water demands must be improved urgently. The Nile River feeds Egypt's industrial and agricultural sectors with 55.5 cubic kilometers of fresh water every year and drinking water for the inhabitants. It provides 95 percent of the country's accessible water, 85 percent of it used for agricultural purposes. Most Egyptian water program graduates lack the necessary skills to meet Egypt's present and future water needs despite this urgent necessity. To adequately serve the stakeholders of the water industry in Egypt, water programs must evolve. Universities should look not only at what is being taught but also at how it is being taught. To address this, and as part of the United States Agency for International Development funded “Center of Excellence in Water,” the most demanded skills required by industry were solicited so that curriculum revisions and delivery methods can be implemented to prepare students with these necessary skills. This paper presents the results of a survey to solicit non-academic professionals’ expectations for water graduates in Egypt. Data were collected from 48 water professionals and resource management specialists. To prepare a water graduate valued by industry, the water curriculum should be modified to deliver the skills necessary to meet the demands of the Egyptian water sector. The survey results may have applications for water science and engineering worldwide.

Keywords: Engineering education, Employment skills, Jobs skills, Employer attitudes, Water programs, Egypt.

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