KNOWLEDGE workers who train at Al Madinah Knowledge Economic City (KEC) can be assured that their qualifications will be recognised as world-class thanks to a Memorandum of Understanding just signed between KEC and international IT certification organisation CompTIA (Computing Technology Industry Association).
The CompTIA MoU signing comes just days after KEC announced a similar arrangement with the world-leading networking company, Cisco.
KEC CEO Tahir Bawazir says the international expertise that these organisations offer to Al Madinah KEC is critical to the success of the knowledge-based industries concept on which Knowledge Economic City is based.
“They bring international experience to our development and we are delighted that they share our vision to make Al Madinah KEC a global reference center for ICT development.”
The MoU with CompTIA is aimed at gaining fast track endorsement of IT certifications to be offered at Al Madinah Knowledge Economic City which will provide a model for other economic cities and Saudi Arabia in general.
CompTIA has entered into agreements with the Saudi Arabian General Investment Authority (SAGIA) and Al Madinah Knowledge Economic City to work collaboratively to develop IT skills among students and workers in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. The organizations will also work together to implement industry-accepted standards for IT professionals which will help to fill IT vacancies and skills gap in the region.
“The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia is rapidly becoming the leading country in the Middle East where it comes to IT,” said John Venator, President and Chief Executive Officer, CompTIA. “Many international companies are establishing major operations in the Kingdom and this requires a skilled national workforce. With the significant growth in population in the Kingdom the opportunity to fill these jobs is there.”
CompTIA is an international not-for-profit association established 25 years ago with more than 22,000 member companies in more than 100 countries around the world. It serves as the voice of the $1 trillion-plus global IT industry in a variety of roles, including being the world’s largest developer of vendor-neutral IT certification examinations.
CompTIA works with experts and industry leaders from both the public and private sectors (including academia, governments and training companies) to develop broad-based foundational exams to validate an individual’s IT skill set. Approximately one million IT professionals world-wide have received CompTIA certification to date.
“With the translated version of CompTIA A+ into Arabic we have opened the doors for many Arabs to start an education in IT”, said Rudolf Tegelaar CompTIA’s Regional Director.
The latest signing is only the beginning, according to KEC Chief Technology Officer, Mohammed Shah. “We are negotiating with other multi-national ICT companies and more agreements will follow soon.”
Meanwhile, Al Madinah Knowledge Economic City delegates were among a high powered line-up of attendees taking part in a workshop in Riyadh organised by the Middle East Workforce Development Advisory Council (MEWAC) at the same time. They include representatives from SAGIA, Al Khaleej Training and Education, Cisco, GOTEVOT, Intel, Human Resource Development Fund, ICS Corporation EMEA, Microsoft Saudi Arabia, Ministry of Information and Telecommunication and CompTIA.
KEC Marketing Manager Mohammed Khoja says the participation of such major players in the IT industry demonstrates how important the workshop is.
“It provides a significant opportunity for information sharing and developing productive relationships for the future,” he said.
