Over the past eighteen months, 8977 teachers, government employees, and students have enrolled in the ICDL programme

The Memorandum of Understanding that ITEP and the Foundation signed eighteen months ago initially stipulated provision of the ICDL program for teachers and government employees in Dubai. The two entities have now taken their partnership to the next step, delivering the ICDL through student summer camps and offering ICDL training and testing solutions for the visually impaired, who follow the ICDL syllabus and international standards. So far, 1604 teachers, 811 students, and 6562 governmental employees have received ICDL training and testing.

Jamil Ezzo, Director General, ICDL GCC Foundation said, "We have had great results in the UAE since undertaking our partnership with ITEP. The project has been instrumental in supporting and implementing the ICDL programme as a benchmark for basic IT skills in Dubai's educational and governmental sectors.


Having identified and addressed the dire need for basic computer skills in the local education system and government workplaces, it remains a significant contributor to the success of the ICDL programme not only locally but also regionally. We appreciate ITEP's innovative contribution to the ICDL programme. Recently, ITEP developed ICDL content to address various needs such as training solutions for the visually impaired, teachers, and the general public."

Commenting on the partnership, Dr. Abdullah Al Karam, Director of ITEP said, "ITEP and the ICDL GCC Foundation have a common goal: to provide digital literacy to all members of society in the country. ITEP's mission has been to focus on technology while providing better education. We are pleased with the results of our relationship, which has made a positive impact on performance and productivity within the educational sector. We have been receiving positive feedback from the various bodies that have adopted the programme. The synergies of ICDL and ITEP have helped in achieving this success. We will continue our efforts to realize our ultimate goal of a fully e-literate UAE society."

"In the UAE, the ICDL GCC Foundation has made considerable headway in spreading computer literacy by partnering with various private and public sector organizations. The Government of Dubai has been extensively supporting our joint efforts with ITEP. We take this opportunity to express our gratitude to H.H. Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice President and Prime Minister of UAE and Ruler of Dubai, for his guidance and support," Ezzo added.

The ICDL GCC Foundation and ITEP have been working closely in preparing to launch the ICDL e-citizen project, which aims to raise the IT awareness level and increase the number of computers and internet access across the various sections of society. The e-citizen project is expected to play a major role in the implementation of the various e-government services as well as in the transformation to a digital knowledge-based society.


Another project ICDL and ITEP are implementing is Tamkeen, which aims to offer ICDL training and testing to visually impaired individuals. ITEP is also in the final stages of submitting its Braille version of the ICDL syllabus for the Tamkeen program.

The ICDL GCC Foundation and ITEP plan to retain the services of a world-renowned research and advisory firm by the third quarter of this year to tabulate the impact of the ICDL program undertaken by the Foundation and ITEP. The study also aims to measure the impact of the certification on the productivity of employees in various Dubai governmental departments.