More than 12,000 GCC national students enrol in ICDL program during summer training camps

In the UAE, the summer camps comprise 3,800 UAE national students, and are held by Abu Dhabi Educational Council with the cooperation of educational zones in Abu Dhabi and Dubai, Western Region, Sharjah and the Northern Emirates.

Whereas in Bahrain and Qatar, the ICDL summer training camps are held by the Ministry of Education and the Higher Council of Education respectively, consisting of 1,000 national students under the age of 12 years in each country

The ICDL certification recognizes the support of local educational ministries and zones and all the corporate sponsors for their continued support for ICDL's digital awareness. As a result of their contributions and efforts, the annual ICDL summer camps have become one of the most anticipated summer activities all over the Gulf region. Thousands of students from all over the region continue to benefit from the ICDL training and testing program year after year, which shows the youth's strong interest towards the development of their computer skills.

The growing success of this program has boosted ICDL GCC Foundation team's enthusiasm to sustain efforts toward developing creative initiatives that help promote digital awareness throughout the society.

As part of "Sayfuna Mumayaz 2009" and for the sixth consecutive year, Abu Dhabi Educational Council (ADEC) have supported the ICDL Computer Summer Camps as part of, offering students an excellent opportunity to enhance their skills and knowledge of computers based on ICDL international standards.

The selection of the students has been carried out by Abu Dhabi Education Council and Al Ain Educational Zone, whereas the training and testing will be held at UAE University, Abu Dhabi University, and The Centre of Excellence for Applied Research and Training (CERT), the external projects arm of the Higher Colleges of Technology, facilitating the training of the 500 students from Al Ain and 2,300 students from Abu Dhabi and the Western Region.

As part of their Corporate Social Responsibility and contributions to digital literacy, industry leaders such as Acer, Apple, Toshiba, Epson, Brother, Immation, and Wild Wadi have joined us to recognize achieving ICDL candidates with valuable gifts which include laptops, iPods and printers and peripherals, and free water park passes.

The participants of the summer program will undergo extensive IT training according to the globally recognised ICDL standard. By the end of summer, the participants are expected to achieve the ICDL certification, after passing the tests and affirming that they have acquired relevant IT skills and knowledge. The skills they acquire will encourage students to become resourceful, self confident and assume more responsibility in their learning process.

Endorsed by education ministries, universities and government organizations worldwide, ICDL is an inclusive digital literacy program that empowers individuals with the essential concepts of computer and practical use of common desktop applications.

The program is based on a recognized global standard acknowledged through testing and proves that the certificate holder has fundamental skills in IT, using the computer & managing files, word processing, spreadsheet, database, presentation, and information & communication (Internet and e-mail).

The ICDL syllabus also offers a broader perspective on computer netiquettes by focusing on responsible use of computers and Internet, covering important social areas such as intellectual property rights, virus protection and recycling.