Abu Dhabi Chamber of Commerce &Industry integrates ICDL in its Work Passport Program to boost UAE nationals’ job prospects

The Abu Dhabi Chamber of Commerce & Industry (ADCCI) has recently endorsed the International Computer Driving Licence (ICDL) programme and integrated it in its Work Passport Program with the aim of further improving the job prospects of UAE nationals.
 
The Work Passport Program is a strategic initiative designed to train and to qualify nationals for job opportunities, as per the requirements of the private sector. The program helps in improving job prospects of UAE Nationals through an intensive three-month course.
 
The ADDCI announcement is in response to a call by ICDL GCC Foundation, the governing body of the ICDL program in the Gulf States, to intensify IT literacy programs in order to reduce unemployed among nationals across GCC.
 
“We take an active role in improving the employment prospects of UAE nationals through different initiatives,” said Mohammed Omar Abdullah, Director General, Abu Dhabi Chamber of Commerce & Industry. “While our Work Passport Program has achieved a high level of success in grooming UAE nationals for taking up jobs in the private sector, we are confident that the ICDL program will add a great value to our IT training program. ICDL certification is recognized academically and practically by employers in the government and private sectors. We commend the role of ICDL GCC Foundation in spreading IT literacy in the region, and we are pleased to partner with the Foundation to offer an internationally recognized IT certification to the participants in our Work Passport Program.”
 
 
ICDL GCC Foundation is currently in the process of granting accreditation to two centers of ADCCI in Abu Dhabi and Al Ain. The centres will adopt the standards of the ICDL program and provide training and testing to UAE nationals enrolled in the Work Passport Program to raise their IT competency levels.
 
“The Abu Dhabi Chamber of Commerce & Industry has taken the right step towards improving the job prospects for young UAE nationals, and we are glad to extend our cooperation to ADCCI in this regard,” said Jamil Ezzo, Director General, ICDL GCC Foundation. “The Work Passport Program is an appropriate initiative for integrating ICDL training, because it covers all major areas of today’s work environment. ICDL and the Work Passport Program together add value to the jobseekers when they enter the job market, as possessions of basic IT skills helps them excel at the workplace. The UAE’s increased focus on digitisation and its emergence as a knowledge-based economy has created an added emphasis on IT proficiency.”
 
“The integration of ICDL in the Work Passport Program will significantly boost employment opportunities for UAE Nationals as it will open up new avenues for them. In this respect we urge other government departments in the GCC, to use the Work Passport Program as a model to initiate similar programs to maximise the contribution of Nationals in the workforce,” he added. 
 
The Work Passport Program covers topics such as career guidance; work conduct and ethics; marketing and customer care; writing skills; English language applications; basic computer skills and Internet applications.
 
“ICDL has today emerged as the preferred IT proficiency program in the GCC region, with all ministries of education and several other government departments and organisations endorsing it. As the region moves ahead towards the creation of a strong knowledge based economy, complemented by the automation process, knowledge of  basic IT and internet skills are becoming prerequisite at the workplace as well as to improve the quality of life of the society. We are totally committed to work in partnership with the governments of the GCC region to further IT literacy to all parts of society,” concluded Ezzo. 
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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 40 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 5 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 Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) Member States with their implementation of IT literacy 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.