The UAE Ministry of Performance Development for Government Departments and ICDL GCC Foundation, the governing body and the certification authority of the International Computer Driving License program in the Gulf States, has signed today (Tuesday 3 October 2006) an agreement to implement the ICDL program across all federal government ministries and departments. The move constitutes the largest scale initiative taken by the UAE federal government so far to achieve its goal of ushering in a ‘Digital UAE.’
The agreement was signed between H.E. Sultan Bin Saeed Al Mansouri, Minister of Performance Development for Government Departments and Jamil Ezzo, Director General of ICDL GCC Foundation. This makes it mandatory for all federal government employees to acquire IT skills in accordance with the ICDL global standard, thus setting a minimum level of IT-proficiency among all federal government employees across all the emirates. The plan will be implemented under the supervision of a steering committee embodying experts in the field from the government as well as ICDL.
Commenting on the partnership with ICDL, H.E. Al Mansouri said: “This agreement is in line with the far-sighted vision of H.H. Sheikh Khalifa bin Zayed Al Nahyan, President of the UAE of ushering in a digital, knowledge-based society in the country and establishing e-governance across all the emirates that will earn the UAE its rightful place among the developed societies of the world. The ICDL program has been gaining wide acceptance among government organizations as it is an internationally-recognised standard for digital literacy that has proven its ability to allow ministries to enhance the efficiency of its employees and advance their careers, thereby accelerating the speed and improving the quality of the public services offered. This agreement will further promote the country’s socio-economic development by ensuring prompt and effective services that are a hallmark of modern society.”
Lauding the Ministry’s decision, Jamil Ezzo, Director General of ICDL GCC Foundation said: “The digital literacy initiative taken by the Ministry for Performance Development for Government Departments will enable the federal government to maximize on its employees’ contribution through individual professional and personal growth. No doubt, this national initiative which further enhances the country’s e-governance readiness will lead to improve the country’s socio-economic growth. Our agreement consolidates the UAE drive to equip government department personnel with IT skills required for implementing a system of e-governance nationwide and reducing the digital gap in the country. We take this opportunity to express our gratitude towards H.H. Sheikh Khalifa bin Zayed Al Nahyan, President of the UAE, H.H. Sheikh Mohammed Bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice President and Prime Minister of the UAE and Ruler of Dubai, and the UAE government for their confidence in our digital literacy global standard.”
Established with the aim of managing the ICDL program in the GCC region, the ICDL GCC Foundation has been striving relentlessly to promote digital literacy and bring computer skills levels in the GCC region at par with international levels by working directly with the region’s government organisations and policy makers. The ICDL program is a vendor neutral, non commercial certification, designed to equip any person with basic skills necessary to give the candidate confidence while using a computer. Currently, there are more than 800 ICDL Approved Centres that provide training and testing across the GCC. This includes schools, universities, commercial centres and government organizations. The aim of these organizations in adopting the ICDL qualification as a standard is to create an internationally recognized uniform knowledge base for all employees regardless of their role within the organization. The ICDL qualification is sure to enhance people’s personal and professional development and contribute to creating a culture for lifelong learning
About ICDL
International Computer Driving License (ICDL), is an internationally recognized computer proficiency standard that is owned by 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 140 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 26,000 centres worldwide, above 5 million candidates, more than 1 million issued certificates and over 20 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.
