ICDL GCC Foundation, the regional office of the ECDL Foundation and the governing body of the International Computer Driving Licence (ICDL) program in the Gulf States and the Municipalities and Agriculture Department - Works, Abu Dhabi, have announced their cooperation in a press conference held at the Department on the 18th of April 2005.
By this cooperation the Municipalities and Agriculture Department -Works endorses the International Computer Driving Licence (ICDL) certification as a benchmark for all its employees, and the ICDL GCC Foundation accredits the Training and Development Centre (TDC) at the Department, as an approved centre for the ICDL program, after it successfully completed the ICDL accreditation requirements.
The accreditation was officially signed on behalf of H.E. Khalfan Gaith Al Muheribi, Chairman, Municipalities and Agriculture Department -Works, by H.E. Mr Mane' Khalifah Al Rumaithi, Deputy, Works Department, and Mr. Jamil Ezzo, Director General, ICDL GCC Foundation.
The Municipalities and Agriculture Department -Works, is in charge of the design, supervision, management and maintenance of a wide range of architectural and engineering projects for the emirate of Abu Dhabi. It undertakes the projects such as bridges, ports, airports, federal buildings through its main offices in Abu Dhabi and auxiliary offices in Al Ain and the western emirates, guaranteeing quality at low cost. The Department has adopted the ICDL program as part of its vision to automate the processes and speedily interface with the wider automation and eGovernance initiative launched by the Government of Abu Dhabi. This step is expected to have a major impact on the quality and timely completion of various projects. The department has launched a training centre to improve the efficiencies of the processes and its other key functions.
Mr. Jamil Ezzo, Director General, ICDL GCC Foundation, said: "The endorsement of the ICDL program by the Department is yet another milestone in the national implementation of a unified standard for computer literacy in the UAE. Our partnership is a strong message for adopting and implementing the ICDL program across the governmental organisations throughout the Gulf region. The department has proved since its establishment, commitment to providing the best services with high quality. Through adopting ICDL, the department has taken a step closer to achieving the excellence other governmental departments and organisation have achieved by endorsing ICDL program."
Speaking at the signing ceremony, his his Excellency Mr. Khalfan Gaith Al Muheribi, said: "The step of becoming an ICDL training and certified centre is very important within the department. We are glad to partner with a reputable organisation such as ICDL GCC Foundation, as we share with them, the same goals of spreading IT awareness in the society. We expect that the certification will have an impact in the direction of e-governance in Abu Dhabi. The department will conduct training and testing for the certification, complying with the guidelines of ICDL GCC Foundation, to guarantee that the trainees derive the full benefit of the program and ensure that they can use computers effectively in the daily professional and personal life. The centre will be open to all government departments of the emirate, and the government will bear the full cost of training and certifying employees with UAE nationality."
Municipalities and Agriculture Department -Works and ICDL GCC Foundation, share the vision of improving the quality of life of the society by bridging the digital gap that exists between the region and the most developed countries. ICDL GCC Foundation is dedicated to helping raise the general level of computer literacy in societies and providing access for all to the information society and to serve the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) countries with their implementation of ICDL and for providing them with localised support to ensure quality of ICDL programs. The ICDL GCC Foundation is the sole accreditation body that is responsible to support ICDL accredited training and testing centers in the GCC. It also acts as the reviewing and approving body for the local adaptation of ICDL programs. ICDL accreditation gives its holders the necessary IT skills used in daily life and in work environment. ICDL is a technical certification used as an international benchmark of computer skills. It also suits the students IT needs irrespective of their familiarity with computers.
"IT solutions are vital for executing projects on par with international standards, and within this frame, the works department is implementing the automation project and putting solutions that will increase the efficiencies of the processes in the department as well as improving productivity and quality. The department has already implemented key networking infrastructure, as a key aspect of automation, in order to integrate fully with the e-governance backbone of Abu Dhabi, providing us with an extensive database of information that can be assimilated and appropriated to take key management and strategic decisions. ICDL training and certification of the employees is therefore a very important step taken in the direction of deriving benefits from e-governance. ICDL has been adopted by major companies and government organisations around the world as an effective tool to raise IT awareness," said his Excellency Al Muheribi.
The ICDL certification program has achieved remarkable success in the Middle East since its introduction in 2001 by UNESCO. Increasingly, education ministries, universities, and government organizations throughout the region are adopting the ICDL certification program as the benchmark, to enable their employees to adapt to new technologies and IT infrastructure being implemented.
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About ICDL GCC Foundation
International Computer Driving License (ICDL), is an internationally recognized computer proficiency standard that is owned by the The European Computer Driving License Foundation (ECDL) and introduced by the UNESCO's Cairo Office (UCO) for Arab states in 2001, is gaining increasing acceptance in the Middle East, with several governments adopting and prescribing it to their employees. The ICDL program exists in over 136 countries, and is offered in 36 languages, including Arabic. The programs offered are all based on one standard syllabus and question set. There are more than 15,000 centres worldwide, above 4 million candidates, more than 1 million issued certificates and over 15 million exams have been taken globally since the launch of the program year 1997.
About ICDL GCC Foundation
ICDL GCC Foundation was created by the ECDL Foundation, the not-for-profit global governing body of the ECDL and ICDL member countries dedicated to helping raise the general level of computer skills in societies and providing access for all to the information society, to serve the to the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) States with their implementation of ICDL and for providing them with localized support to ensure quality of ICDL programs. The ICDL GCC Foundation is the sole accreditation body that is responsible to support ICDL accredited training and testing centers in the GCC. It also acts as the reviewing and approving body for the local adaptation of ICDL programs.
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© Press Release 2005
