Under the patronage of His Excellency the Minister of Higher Education, Scientific Research, Technical Education, and Vocational Training, Professor Dr. Khaled Al-Wasabi, the Industrial Technical Institute in Mukalla witnessed the launch of a pioneering project to develop the Refrigeration and Air Conditioning specialization. The project is implemented by Al-Munthoma Foundation for Development and jointly funded by Al-Awn Foundation for Development and Sheikh Abdullah Al-Nouri Charity Society from Kuwait, as part of the STEP initiative supported by the Islamic Development Bank.

The project aims to strengthen technical education by enhancing infrastructure, training faculty, and improving curriculum quality. As part of the initiative, 25 laboratories were equipped and 25 vocational curricula were updated, in addition to training dozens of professionals both locally and internationally.

Minister Al-Wasabi emphasized the importance of the project in addressing the challenges facing technical education and aligning it with labor market needs. Funding partners and local authorities praised this transformative step as a significant move toward youth empowerment and sustainable development in Yemen.