Labour ministry inks agreement on ICDL

ICDL GCC Foundation — the governing body of the ICDL programme in the Gulf states — granted accreditation to two in-house IT education centres of the Ministry in Abu Dhabi and Dubai to provide ICDL training and testing programme to its employees.

The agreement was signed by Youssef Abdallah Abdul Ghani, Under-Secretary for Financial and Administrative Affairs, UAE Ministry of Labour and Social Affairs, and Jamil Ezzo, Director-General, ICDL GCC Foundation.

Abdul Ghani said: "The ministry's decision to adopt the ICDL certification reflects our commitment to adopt the highest quality standards, as the ICDL programme is considered the global benchmark in IT skills. We are constantly looking for ways to increase employee performance and productivity, which will, in turn, improve the quality of services offered to our customers. The decision to make the ICDL certification essential for the labour ministry employees is in keeping with the UAE federal government's active pursuit of eGovernance."

"At present, our ministry employs are close to 1,300 and we have been providing various employees training programmes regularly. The accreditation of our Abu Dhabi and Dubai training centres by ICDL ensures delivery of fundamental IT skills to our employees in line with international standards. This will help boost the confidence of our employees and provide them with more opportunities to advance and grow within the Ministry," Abdul Ghani added.

Jamil Ezzo said: "We are pleased to have signed a strategic partnership agreement with the Ministry of Labour and Social Affairs, which marks the first step towards further collaboration in the future. The ministry's decision to adopt the ICDL programme is an important step towards raising the level of IT skills of employees within all the UAE federal ministries."

"In the increasingly dynamic world of business, we aim to position the ICDL certification as a benchmark required by the various professions within the job market. The ICDL certification programme has become the standard for basic computer skills all over the world and we take great pride in fostering the spread of IT literacy for all sections of society in the Gulf region," he added.