Dubai, 22nd July 2009 (WAM) : Young Arab Leaders (YAL), the foremost Arab platform that provides Arab youth with channels of employment through quality education, training and entrepreneurship opportunities, and Microsoft Gulf have launched today the Digital Literacy Online Training program designed to equip Arab youth with IT skills required by the economy in the current globalization and digital era.
The launch follows a strategic partnership agreement concluded last November by both parties to develop the Youth Empowerment and Development (YED) initiative. The partnership aimed at fostering the development of future Arab leaders and matching their IT strengths with businesses expectations in the highly-competitive and rapidly-changing global economy of today. The online curriculum will teach basic and advanced concepts and skills needed to master computer usage, and later assess the skills attained from the courses through a Microsoft online testing system. It will provide a better understanding of computers ranging from use of the Internet to introducing new digital technologies and support and develop the essential skills needed to begin computing with the correct and necessary knowledge. "The Digital Literacy courses mark another episode in the series of highly-efficient and employment-oriented programs and initiatives that YAL has been developing and implementing in partnership with leading businesses in various fields. It makes digital knowledge and skills a click away from Arab youth to sharpen their qualifications and support their careers. The program is enabled by one of the worlds IT leaders, Microsoft, which gains it enormous importance and credibility", said Assem O. Kabesh, Chief Executive Officer, YAL. The curriculum includes a Computer Basics course to introduce students to the fundamentals of computing, the Internet and the World Wide Web to teach students the skills of handling the internet and search engines. It will also include advanced courses such as the Productivity Programmes which explores the most common productivity software applications used in business, education and at home. The course teaches students how to match software with projects and the fundamentals of word processing, spreadsheets, presentation software and databases. The Computer Security and Privacy course will help students gain confidence in computing by explaining the risks and threats to computer security and privacy so that students can understand and prevent them. The Digital Lifestyles course will introduce students to new digital technologies, including digital audio, digital video and digital photography. It explores how these and other computing technologies are creating new career opportunities and shaping the world we live in. Dr. Zaki Khoury, Gulf Citizenship & Education Alliance Lead, Microsoft Gulf, said: "The Digital Literacy online courses have been meticulously designed to upgrade the IT knowledge and skills of young men and women in the region and help them compete in an evolving knowledge-based business environment. Our partnership with YAL in this program mirrors our continuous commitment to support the development of individuals and communities in which we operate". The YAL-Microsoft online courses are open to all young Arabs who wish to improve on their computer and digital literacy skills. Interested students can easily download courses by using a link on YAL website. Each course has an e-learning module and an assessment available in three different languages - Arabic, English, French - depending on the users preferred language. Courses are independent of each other and can be taken individually or combined depending on the areas or skills that the candidate chooses to improve on. Students who complete the courses could choose to be assessed through taking the Certification Test, which covers topics from all five courses. Upon passing the Certificate Test, a personalized Microsoft Digital Literacy Certificate can be printed out for proof of completion.Copyright Emirates News Agency (WAM) 2009.
