The granting of these scholarships is part of the signing of a cooperation agreement. According to a company statement sent to VerAngola recently, the group signed a cooperation agreement that provides for the awarding of a total of 25 scholarships to students at the UAN Faculty of Engineering during the current academic year (2024/2025).
"The scholarships consist of the payment of tuition fees, the granting of a monthly allowance to help with food, travel and school material expenses, as well as the granting of a laptop to each student", the statement reads.
According to the company, half of the scholarships that will be made available will be for women. "Of the 25 scholarships provided, 50 percent of the quota is for admission of female students", the statement states, adding that "students in Civil Engineering, Mechanical Engineering, Electrical Engineering, Computer Engineering and Architecture will be eligible for the scholarships".
As for the choice of beneficiaries, it will be up to the faculty to make a rigorous selection, in conjunction with the company.
"The Faculty of Engineering of the Agostinho Neto University will be responsible for rigorously selecting the students, in conjunction with the MCA Group, and MCA will monitor the teaching and learning process, including other activities that are deemed necessary", the note also states.
The importance of collaboration between the academic community and the business sector was highlighted by the CEO of MCA Angola, Elisabete Alves.
"We recognise the importance of cooperation between the academic community and the business sector. On our part, there is a firm desire to establish a relationship of partnership and collaboration, with a view to a dynamic, active and constant search for inter-cooperation solutions with the academic community, aiming at common interests and objectives in the area of academic and professional training", highlighted Elisabete Alves.
In turn, the Dean of the Faculty of Engineering at UAN, Joaquim Augusto Guerra Hamuyela, considered that the investment that the company is making in the educational institution is "a cornerstone for fostering innovation, technological progress and socioeconomic development" of students and the university itself.
"The investment that MCA is making in our university is a cornerstone for fostering innovation, technological progress and socioeconomic development not only of students, but also of the university itself", he said.
"In this way, we are ensuring access to technologies, but also the training of a qualified workforce prepared for the challenges of the current job market. This exchange of knowledge and resources provides an environment that benefits both the private sector and society as a whole", he added.
According to the statement, the cooperation protocol also provides for the promotion and support of "concrete cooperation initiatives in student internships in the company and other university extension activities, based on obtaining mutual advantages and taking into account the expertise of researchers, engineers and technicians from both entities, as well as the opportunities available".
