Etisalat Academy signs MoU with Syria Ministry of Telecommunications and Technology

The initiative, an effort to better prepare and qualify graduates and professionals of both government and private sectors, is part of a plan to bring development tools and assistance to a technology-savvy Syrian community.

Present at the signing were Dr. Amr Salem, Syrian Minister of Telecommunications and Technology, Dr. Doaa Fares, General Manager, Etisalat Academy, Ted Morehouse, Chief Executive Officer, Serebra, Asim Al Ali, eLearning Manager, Etisalat Academy, Dr. Mislim Tisabahji, Vice Chairman, Ghaith Huwarim, Chief Executive Officer, and Dr. Salah Rashid of Unlimited Horizons, representing Etisalat Academy in Syria, and an audience of representatives from the Syrian Ministries of Labor, Youth, International Union and Development.

The MoU states that the Ministry of Telecommunications and Information Technology, sponsors of the initiative, will introduce high speed Internet centres across Syria. Unlimited Horizons will be responsible for training and educating the community about EasyLearning, a programme designed for countries of the Middle East and North Africa.

Ali Mohammed Al Sharid, Chief Executive Officer, Etisalat Services, said:

'The initiative, which has been honored by the patronage of HE Sheikh Nahyan Bin Mubarak Al Nahyan, UAE Minister of Higher Education and Scientific Research, and President of the United Arab Emirates University, is now being launched in the Republic of Syria in coordination with the international organization represented regionally and internationally by the Etisalat Academy. The Academy has a proven track record of preparing and developing professionals from organizations of government and private sectors both regionally and internationally.'

Dr. Doaa Fares, General Manager of Etisalat Academy, said: 'The Academy's decision to adapt the EasyLearning project reflects our educational capability. UNITAR, representing the UN, has adopted this initiative to support and develop the electronic educational environment within the region, and the first bouquet of educational and training program has been finalized.'

'It includes around 600 training courses and many other internationally certified degrees covering a wide range of administrative and technical sciences. These programs were designed with a special focus on direct education, wherein the number of courses increases and its content is constantly updated by a leading Canadian institute specialized in the industrial sector', he added.

The courses in this initiative have been finalized after extensive research of the full market in the domains of Administration, Software Programming, Information Technology, e-Government, Accounting, Finance, Marketing, Customer Service, project administration, sales and inventory, Human Resources and also IT courses from Oracle, Cisco, a full collection of Microsoft and Lotus Notes courses and others.

In addition, the program aims at rehabilitating graduates from different levels while providing them with the required skills to enhance the efficiency of their performance, and to help them strike a balance between academic theory and the professional applications that they need.