Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates, 19 October 2026: Emirates Global Aluminium, the largest industrial company in the United Arab Emirates outside oil and gas, has launched this academic year's Engineer the Future programme, which aims to inspire children's interest in science, technology, engineering and mathematics at another 25 schools.

Over 44,000 students from more than 170 schools across the UAE have participated in EGA's Engineer the Future programme since its launch in 2017.

Science, technology, engineering and mathematics are vital fields for the UAE's industrial future. EGA employs over 1,500 STEM experts, including more than 500 UAE Nationals.

Abdulnasser Bin Kalban, Chief Executive Officer of Emirates Global Aluminium, said: "Building a globally competitive industrial economy requires a strong pipeline of scientific and engineering talent. Through EGA's Engineer the Future programme, we are helping students explore STEM and discover how they can apply these skills to solve real-world challenges, advance UAE industry and shape the nation's future."

EGA's Engineer the Future programme enables students from grades nine to 12 to explore STEM concepts and learn how they are applied in industry. Female students account for 63 per cent of the programme's participants.

The programme aims to bridge the gap between classrooms and industry through an interactive learning experience covering themes from sustainability, circular economy to industry 4.0 and innovation.

EGA's Engineer the Future programme is delivered in partnership with the UAE Ministry of Education.

As part of Engineer the Future, EGA annually hosts the EGA Aluminium Design and Innovation Challenge. The challenge invites students in grades nine to 12 to apply their STEM knowledge to develop innovative aluminium-based solutions for real-world applications. Throughout the four-month programme, participating teams received mentorship from EGA engineers and access to specialised resources and technical guidance to support the development of their projects.

In the 2025/2026 academic year, some 1,200 students in 352 teams from 105 schools across the UAE took part in the EGA Aluminium Design and Innovation Challenge. Finalists were invited to present innovative aluminium-focused concepts from across four categories: architecture, product design, sustainable mobility, and space solutions.

During the same period, more than 7,000 students from schools across the UAE participated in Engineer the Future.