Emirates Aviation College – Aerospace & Academic Studies - has endorsed the International Computer Driving License (ICDL) programme as the IT competency standard for its students and staff. The move will make Emirates the region’s first airline to have an in-house ICDL-accredited IT literacy training centre.
ICDL GCC Foundation, the governing body and the certification authority of the ICDL programme in the Gulf region, signed the accreditation agreement with Emirates Aviation College, further expanding the reach of the ICDL certification.
As per the agreement, ICDL GCC Foundation recognizes the Emirates Aviation College’s state-of-the-art in-house training centre as an approved ICDL Training and Testing Centre to provide training and testing, in accordance with the ICDL syllabus and international standards.
Mohammed Al Budoor, Vice Chancellor, Emirates Aviation College, said: “Since its establishment, the college has expanded and diversified to offer an extensive range of educational opportunities designed to give students a strong foundation for success in their career pathways.
“As Emirates Airline continues to reach new heights in service and efficiency, we need to respond by empowering all our students with the necessary skills to enable them to deal with the challenges of today’s rapidly changing world. We consider that the ICDL global standard for IT competency is key to achieving this.”
Jamil Ezzo, Director General, ICDL GCC Foundation said: “With the support of more than 40 computer societies and thousands of academic and vocational training institutions around the world, the ICDL program has become the global standard for digital literacy.. Our partnership with Emirates Aviation College means that the students can be assured of all the necessary support and guidance from the Foundation.
“In light of the e-governance movement, it has become vital for organisations from the public and private sector, to have a competitive edge and IT proficiency of staff is the first step towards achieving this. Various organisations from different sectors across the GCC have already recognised the numerous advantages of endorsing the ICDL certification. Nowadays, Information Technology is increasingly penetrating our society and sound IT literacy is the key to further the transformation to a knowledge-based society,” added Mr Ezzo.
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 36 languages, including Arabic. The programs offered are all based on one standard syllabus and question set. There are more than 26,000 centres worldwide, above 5 million candidates, more than 1 million issued certificates and over 20 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 to the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) States with their implementation of ICDL 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.
