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Strategic Partnerships In Support Of Regional Educational Reform Announced At BETT ME Exhibition
Published Nov 21, 2010
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Abu Dhabi – In support of regional educational reform and to engage the private sector in creative initiatives, Hewlett Packard (HP), the global technology leader, and ICDL GCC Foundation, the official awarding body of the ICDL certification in the Gulf region, have announced the signing of a strategic partnership agreement to work together on promulgating digital literacy in the region through various initiatives including sponsorship of educational activities. This new partnership combines the strength of two leaders in independent yet relevant industries to bring digital proficiency and technology to a wider reach.
The partnership announcement will be unveiled during the BETT Middle East Exhibition which will be held on the 21st and 22nd of November 2010, at the Abu Dhabi National Exhibition Centre, HP will be present at stand E80 and ICDL GCC at stand C30, where they both plan to present to visitors including; educational policy makers and authorities as well as schools and universities a brief on the joint initiatives and efforts being carried out by both organisations in support of the education sector.
The HP and ICDL partnership is based on the success being witnessed in Egypt in applying the ICDL programme, where 2.5 million individuals are receiving ICDL training, testing, and certification based on a protocol and collaborative effort between the Ministry of Communications and Information Technology (MCIT), Ministry of State for Administrative Development, Ministry of Higher Education and Scientific Research, and Ministry of Education, with the support of the United Nations Educational Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO). HP's role in this project is its set up of a network of 100 ICDL training and testing centres all over Egypt; also covering remote areas to help develop ICT skills among government employees, teachers, and students.
Jamil Ezzo, Director General of ICDL GCC Foundation, said: “HP and ICDL have each led the progression in their own field – ICDL in spreading digital literacy and HP in providing a computer on every desk. Our partnership with HP is based on a shared vision – to ensure that technology is understandable as well as affordable by everyone. We call on all organisations and companies that are looking to succeed in their fields to take on a role in supporting initiatives that bring benefits to the community and the general society specifically in the field of education. Our ethos to maintain vendor neutrality has not and will not change. We invite all industries, particularly the IT industry to join initiatives that lead to improving the quality of education and spreading digital literacy as part of their Corporate Social Responsibility. Today we recognize HP as one of the technology industry leaders and welcome our partnership with them in pursuit of ICT skills for all”
Steefan Van Waes, Education Manager Middle East HP, said: “We are proud to associate our name with the ICDL program due to its popularity and renowned certification. We recognise that in order to maintain our status as a global technology leader we have to continually do more at the community level by empowering individuals with ICT skills that can play a significant part in their professional and personal daily life. Hence, to show our commitment in supporting various initiatives that lead to bridging the digital gap, we are introducing ‘e-Learning Nuggets’, which is mapped to the ICDL syllabus, allowing students to develop their ICT skills in a simple, interactive manner that will result in a fun educational experience.”
About ICDL
ICDL is internationally recognised as the global benchmark in developing IT literacy programs and has emerged as the world's largest vendor-neutral end-user computer skills certification with more than 10 million registered candidates from all over the world. Endorsed by International organisations and governments, specifically education ministries, universities and institutions in more than 148 countries and available in over 40 languages including Arabic, ICDL seeks to globally promote digital literacy based on unified, world-class standards of competence and integrity. ICDL GCC Foundation is one of the top three contributors to the global ICDL certification program. Its main goal is to enhance computer skills and IT access in Gulf societies. The Foundation also assists GCC states in the quality implementation of their ICDL programs.
About HP
HP is a technology company that operates in more than 170 countries around the world. Founded in 1939, provide infrastructure and business offerings of wide range of products and services from digital photography to digital entertainment and from computing to home printing. The company is among the world's largest IT companies, with revenue totalling $118.4 billion for fiscal 2008. www.hp.com
About eLearning Nuggets
eLearning Nuggets™ is an online learning solution approved by ECDL/ICDL European/International Computer Driving License).It is designed to help you attain ECDL/ICDL™ certification while mastering the computer application skills expected in today’s workplace. The eLearning Nuggets™ solution covers the seven ECDL/ ICDL™ certification modules and prepares you for their corresponding exams. The eLearning Nuggets™ solution consists of a collection of hundreds of micro–learning units of one minute each. With eLearning Nuggets™ you learn as much or little as you choose in one sitting—from just one very specific task to a set of related topics to an entire application. You learn one thing at a time and move on to the next only when you are ready. Each eLearning Nugget™ makes learning easy and convenient with “show me” animations, voice over and “how to” steps.
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VMD - [Virtual Marketing Department]
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