Students at American College of Dubai to get SitesPower's Microsoft Certifications

The Agreement is designed to enhance the real-world information technology skills of ACD graduates.

Students at ACD's two year degree programme for Associate in Science and Information Technology will, henceforth, also undergo training in Microsoft Certifications from the highly qualified SitesPower team of trainers. The list of Microsoft Certificates will include the much coveted Microsoft Certified Systems Administrator (MCSA) and Microsoft Certified Application Developer (MCAD) qualifications.

ACD President William O'Brien pointed out that the combination gives students the best of both worlds - a degree approved by the UAE Ministry of Education, which meets the requirements of the Ministry of Labor - a well as a world class Microsoft qualification which has become a prerequisite for many positions in the job market.

"This is not, however, a strictly technical program" explained O'Brien. "Students will complete a full curriculum of Mathematics and English, along with general education and introductory business subjects, in order to ensure we are matriculating well rounded graduates who are career-ready."

For SitesPower, the link up is an opportunity to bring the Microsoft certification programs to a much wider audience, in an extremely effective manner.

"As only the 2nd Microsoft Gold Partner for Learning Solutions in Dubai, SitesPower trains over 1,000 IT professionals annually. SitesPower's current student community includes organizations, IT professionals and IT graduates. This collaboration with ACD will allow us to work with high-school leavers in a way that will not only give them the technology-specific certifications, but also ensure they receive value-added degree foundation crucial future career advancement," said SitesPower's Vice President, Mohamad Rabbat.

"Academic collaborations have long been a means of enhancing value of university education. Universities and higher education centres of international repute will usually have a highly respected visiting faculty that delivers a significant value-add to the students' learning experience. At GETEX, one of our objectives has been to promote such alliances between our high profile exhibitors to the benefit of the regional student community," said Anselm Godinho, Managing Director, IC&E, organisers of GETEX. "We are pleased to have provided SitesPower and ACD with the forum to work out this agreement."

The collaboration is scheduled to commence with the 2005-2006 ACD intake. The ACD Associate Degree is open to students who have successfully completed their secondary schooling in the UAE and in most recognized international systems. Demonstrated competency in English is an entry requirement.

The 17th GETEX is currently open to visitors at Dubai International Exhibition Centre. It will close doors on April 8, 2005.