Ras Al Khaimah Free Trade Zone adopts ICDL

The move is inline with its objective to diversify the services offered to its staff, clients, and to the community.

ICDL GCC Foundation, the governing body and certification authority of the ICDL program in the Gulf States, approved the accreditation of RAK FTZ's Centre for Business Excellence as an ICDL Training and Testing Centre, which will be accessible to all RAK FTZ staff and the staff of those companies based in the free-zone area. The Centre will also offer the ICDL training and testing service to government employees, students, and the general public, and expects between up to 1,000 students to enrol annually.

"Computers and pertinent skills play a critical part in business today. Our newly ICDL accredited training centre will be a significant benefit we offer our employees and the employees of our corporate clients. We believe our idea to establish a unit dedicated to offering internationally recognized training programs and certifications such as the ICDL will be well received by our corporate community, as it will serve as convenient facilities to continually develop the skills of employees,"

said Oussama El Omari, CEO, Ras Al Khaimah Free Trade Zone.

"Ras Al Khaimah Free Trade Zone is committed to providing our customers and the community with innovative and customized solutions that meet their expectations, and running the Centre for Business Excellence will build on the facilities and services that RAK FTZ already offers to the businesses and community" said El Omari.

The Centre offers a wide range of the training courses along with the ICDL preparation and testing program such as TOFEL@ iBT, Human Resources Management course, Project Management course.

Many employers have been giving preference to job candidates with a solid IT background, making ICDL-certified fresh graduates and job-seekers more attractive to prospective employers.

"We commend Ras Al Khaimah Free Trade Zone and its Centre for Business Excellence for taking the initiative to promulgate digital literacy among the citizens in the emirate of Ras Al Khaimah. We welcome their endorsement of our digital literacy program as it represents another milestone in furthering digital literacy within the emirate" said Jamil Ezzo, Director General, ICDL GCC Foundation.

"As the region moves ahead towards the creation of a knowledge based economy, complemented by the automation process, computer skills are becoming prerequisite at the workplace as well as to improve the quality of life of the society. We are totally committed to working in partnership with the governments of the GCC region to further IT literacy to all parts of society," concluded Ezzo.