American Near East Refugee Aid (ANERA) and the Intel Corporation today announced an agreement to build the “Intel Information Technology Center of Excellence” at the Islamic University of Gaza in the Gaza Strip. This agreement with ANERA expands Intel’s comprehensive, multi-year “Digital Transformation Initiative for the Middle East” and underscores the company’s long-term commitment to promote technology skills, knowledge transfer and economic development in the region. The Center is scheduled to begin construction in February 2006.
The Intel IT Center of Excellence, the first of its kind in Gaza, will expand educational and employment opportunities, provide critical IT support for local businesses and organizations, and help stimulate the IT market in Gaza.
Said Dr. Peter Gubser, ANERA’s president, “ANERA is proud to be working with Intel – a technology leader and the first major U.S. corporation to take a positive step toward Gaza’s educational and economic development. The opportunities created by the Intel IT Center of Excellence will benefit the local Palestinian economy as well as the broader Middle East IT industry by producing thousands of new IT professionals and stimulating job creation.
The relationship between ANERA, Intel, and the Islamic University of Gaza is a clear demonstration that the international community is prepared to make a significant investment in the future of Palestinian society.”
Said Aysegul Ildeniz, Intel regional director for the Middle East, Turkey and Africa, “Intel is thrilled to be working with ANERA on this important new educational project in Gaza. ANERA has a remarkable track record in meeting the needs of communities in the Middle East by both expanding the local universe of IT professionals and providing them with the skills they need to find good jobs. The services and training offered at the Intel IT Center of Excellence will help provide critical building blocks in advancing the adoption of technology in the Palestinian territories. In addition, this new Center will offer new opportunities for Palestinian women and help bridge the IT gender divide. The investment in the Center underscores Intel’s long-term commitment to accelerate the development and adoption of technology, contribute to the improvement of the regional economy, and improve the lives of those living in the region.”
Said Munther Zmeili, member of the Board of Trustees of Islamic University of Gaza, “One of our abiding goals at the Islamic University of Gaza is to provide our students with the professional skills they need to compete in a challenging economic environment. With the launch of the Intel IT Center for Excellence we’ll be able to do just that, providing our students with marketable skills, advanced IT training and job opportunities.”
Benefits of “Intel’s IT Center for Excellence”
As is the case with ANERA’s other IT Centers, there will be numerous benefits for Gaza residents from the Intel IT Center for Excellence:
Broader training in software programming such as Java, Oracle, Cisco, and MCSD, as well as web development and networking solutions.
Support for local businesses with IT services and continuing education classes.
New local and regional business opportunities for students who are finishing their degrees or certificates.
Structured professional training that is necessary to develop and expand the capabilities and talents needed to become highly-trained IT professionals.
Bridging the gender gap in the IT sector by providing training and skills for women.
ANERA’s first IT Center of Excellence opened at Al Quds University in Jerusalem in March 2004. The activities at the state-of-the-art Center led to a nearly three-fold increase in trained IT professionals in the area. To date, approximately 1,000 men and women have been trained at the Center, and the majority have found jobs or are still students. This fall, two more centers will open – at the Arab American University of Jenin and the Palestine Polytechnic University in Hebron.
In Gaza, where the World Bank estimates the poverty rate to be approximately 60%, the training offered at the “Intel IT Center of Excellence” is vital to sparking economic growth and providing jobs to support needy families.
Said Dr. Gubser, “The best way to sustain peace in the region is to give people a sense of hope in the future, which means offering dignity, freedom, and an opportunity to improve one’s life. This Center is fulfilling those needs with professional IT jobs in the difficult Gaza environment. It signals progress and fosters hope.”
New Program with ANERA Advances the “Intel Digital Transformation Initiative”
The launch of the Intel IT Center of Excellence is the latest major initiative to be rolled out as part of the “Intel Digital Transformation Initiative for the Middle East.” Under the “Digital Transformation” program, Intel is increasing its investments in four key areas – local entrepreneurship, education, digital accessibility and specialized technical competencies – which it sees as critical building blocks for developing new technology centers in the region.
Concluded Aysegul Ildeniz of Intel, “The Intel IT Center of Excellence and our broader Digital Transformation initiative reflect Intel’s commitment to develop new technology centers in key Middle East markets. Intel has made pioneering technology investments in emerging markets around the world, and we see great promise for technology advances in this fast-growing region.”
