To enhance ICT abilities within the Center East and improve entry to profession alternatives within the digital world, the UNESCO Institute for Info Applied sciences in Training (UNESCO IITE) and Huawei have launched a joint report highlighting the significance of ICT expertise growth.
Titled: “Expertise Ecosystem for Digital Transformation: Perception Report on ICT in Larger Training and Technical and Vocational Training (TVET) within the Center East and Pakistan”, the joint publication goals to offer proof on ICT expertise growth capabilities and suggestions for resolution – resolution makers and different stakeholders on strengthening the digital abilities wanted for employment within the digital age labor market. The report covers Bahrain, Iraq, Jordan, Kuwait, Lebanon, Oman, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates and Pakistan.
Commenting on the launch of the report, Mr. Tao Zhan, Director of UNESCO IITE, stated: “UNESCO has recognized ICT as a instrument for accelerating progress in direction of the Sustainable Growth Targets (SDGs), together with equitable entry to high quality schooling for all. The report highlights how the joint efforts of governments, universities, worldwide organizations and the enterprise group can have an enduring affect on the socio-economic transformation of the area.”
Mr. Shunli Wang, Vice President of Huawei Center East, stated: “Because the report exhibits, ICT is a robust instrument to facilitate social affect. We’re proud to see nations within the area prioritizing ICT abilities growth to drive sustainable progress. Public-private partnerships are key to attaining ICT expertise cultivation objectives. In collaboration with our companions and prospects, Huawei will proceed to play its function in bettering ICT abilities throughout the area and getting ready younger folks for the way forward for work.”
“The report additionally demonstrates a direct hyperlink between ICT expertise growth and digital transformation. Due to this fact, Huawei stays dedicated to offering the most recent applied sciences and experience to advance digitization throughout the area, whereas working with companions to make sure expertise is obtainable to drive digitization. We additionally acknowledge that our companions and the communities we serve have prioritized environmental safety. Huawei’s digital power options can enhance inexperienced growth by selling renewable power, electrifying transportation and greening digital infrastructure to cut back carbon emissions,” Mr. Wang added.
Larger schooling and VET are thought of essential drivers of digital transformation and very important parts of nationwide financial growth visions and methods by most nations. Due to this fact, the modernization of schooling programs and the modernization of ICT infrastructure have change into nationwide priorities in all of the nations surveyed. Satisfactory infrastructure and expert human capital are important to attaining the SDGs.
This focus is mirrored within the rising variety of establishments providing ICT-related research. For instance, 23 universities and schools (out of 30 larger schooling establishments) in Oman admit college students to ICT-related majors. In Iraq, 12 vocational colleges provided laptop science and knowledge expertise programs within the 2018-2019 educational yr. In Pakistan, the federal government has established Allama Iqbal Open College (AIOU), Digital College of Pakistan (VU) and College of Info Know-how to advertise ICT in larger schooling and TVET.
Equal entry to technical, vocational and college schooling is without doubt one of the pillars of SDG 4. Information exhibits that efforts to handle gender inequality in larger schooling within the area are paying off. The report confirmed that feminine enrollments grew at an annual price of 5.1 % in Saudi Arabia between 2012 and 2018, whereas feminine college students in Qatar’s public larger schooling establishments usually outperformed their male counterparts. In public larger schooling, the ratio reached 322 to 100 within the 2019-2020 educational yr.
Digital transformation is conditioned by the supply of superior ICT infrastructure and excessive connectivity in lots of nations within the area. The speed of mobile-cellular subscriptions is excessive throughout the area: 186 per 100 inhabitants within the United Arab Emirates, 159 per 100 inhabitants in Kuwait, 132 per 100 inhabitants in Qatar and 124 per 100 inhabitants in Saudi Arabia.
International locations within the area have prioritized collaboration to speed up ICT expertise growth, with Huawei main the area’s expertise growth efforts amongst non-public ICT enterprises. In Saudi Arabia, Huawei helps the Saudi Expertise Enabling Program (STEP) to develop 10,000 native abilities by 2023. In Oman, Huawei operates ICT academies at Sultan Qaboos College and the College of Know-how and Utilized Sciences. Huawei additionally ran an ICT Academy on the College of Bahrain, aiming to coach greater than 500 college students a yr in applied sciences reminiscent of cloud computing and AI. Huawei is operating the “Jordan Seed Program for the Future” ICT Competitors to stimulate progressive considering, speed up integration with superior expertise, and enhance the talents of college college students.
