August 11, 2004

Emirates Post, the national postal corporation of the United Arab Emirates, has announced it is endorsing the International Computer Driving Licence (ICDL) program making it an integral part of the training courses conducted by its state-of-the-art Training and Development Centre. The move, under which the ICDL certification would be made mandatory for all existing and prospective employees of Emirates Post, is designed to enhance the computer skills of employees working at all levels.

Mr. Abdullah Al Daboos, Director General, Emirates Post, said: "Emirates Post is providing its customers with a range of quality services and is constantly introducing new services in addition to enhancing the existing ones by leveraging the best of breed technologies and IT systems. It is therefore imperative that every employee is thorough in basic computer skills, to ensure the success of our service proposition. The ICDL model was selected because of its proven success in delivering computer training to all segments, irrespective of their levels of computer knowledge."

"More than 600 employees of Emirates Post have been trained in several skill enhancement programs related to postal services at our Training and Development Centre. Delivering ICDL training for our employees through the centre is a key step we have taken in support of the integration of POS services in the corporation. We expect around 300 employees to be ICDL certified in the first year," said Al Daboos.

"Our Training and Development Centre is staffed with professional trainers and has excellent facilities, including conference rooms and advanced computers. The Centre is now fully equipped to extend ICDL training and testing to employees of other local or international corporations paving the way for all postal and non postal employees to gain ICDL certification," he added.

Mrs.Wiaam Shihab Ghanem, Manager, Training and Development Centre, Emirates Post, said: "Today, success in any organisation is linked to the constant appraisal of the employee skill levels. We have been assessing the ICDL program for some time and are impressed by its results internationally and in the Middle East. From a training perspective, the ICDL program has proved to be highly effective because of its comprehensive syllabus and the modular approach to training that addresses different learning styles and caters to all IT skill levels. We have also seen that the ICDL program motivates learners to put to use their newly acquired skills in real situations. The Centre is also assessing the quality of other international certificates which will add value to the range of training programs that we offer."

Mr. Jamil Ezzo, Director General, ICDL GCC Foundation, said: "Our partnership with Emirates Post demonstrates the key role ICDL plays in developing an organisation's capacity to meet new challenges through advancing IT skills of personnel at all levels. ICDL program is the most practical way of learning, testing and certifying basic computer skills required in the everyday professional and personal use of computers."

"The adaptation of ICDL program to enhance the IT capabilities of its work force is a further evidence of Emirates Post's leadership in postal industry and vision of continuous modernization in its services" added Ezzo.

ICDL is an internationally recognised computer proficiency standard, governed by the European Computer Driving Licence (ECDL), the not-for-profit global regulatory body of the ICDL member countries, and administered by the ICDL GCC Foundation the regional governing body of the ICDL GCC member countries. The ICDL programme has been recognised by international organisations worldwide, and has achieved remarkable success in the Middle East, with government and private organizations including education ministries and academic institutions in the region adopting it as a benchmark for their personnel skills in an IT environment.

Mr. Rich Maclaren, Program Director, ICDL GCC Foundation, said: "The ICDL certificate has in the past to led to tangible economic gains in the regions where it was administered. By endorsing ICDL certification, organisations in the region are taking the right steps in equipping themselves with the skills that drive the engine of economic progress."

The ICDL is a vendor neutral certification program, covers the key concepts of computing, its practical applications and its use in workplace and society. The program teaches participants basic concepts of IT, using the computer and managing files, information and communication and provides in-depth training in word processing, spreadsheets, databases and presentation.

Emirates Post came into existence following the revamp of the General Postal Authority through a Federal Decree in May 2001. It provides a whole range of domestic and international postal services to individuals, businesses, educational institutions and the government bodies in the UAE. Emirates Post is diversifying its range of offering, setting up joint partnerships with local and international players, creating new-look post-offices that offer retail services, expanding the network of post offices and examining the implementation of a door-to-door mail delivery service in the UAE.

The Training and Development Center, which is located at the Karama Main Post Office in Dubai is already providing training for Emirates Post employees in postal services, customer service and training in up and coming services of the corporation. Recently, the center concluded a training program in postal services for the employees of Qatar Post.

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© Press Release 2004