ICDL Saudi Arabia commences ‘Certified Training Professional’ program |
International qualification in IT training will help enhance IT skills of citizens and in turn support KSA’s economy and IT sector
June 17, 2009
ICDL Saudi Arabia, the governing body and certification authority of the International Computer Driving Licence (ICDL) programme in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (KSA), has announced that it has recently commenced the ‘Certified Training Professional’ (CTP) program in KSA to provide male and female ICDL trainers with a mass-based higher-level skills proficiency training for various essential IT applications.
The ‘Certified Training Professional’ is an international qualification in IT training providing trainers and teachers with objective quality standards against which their own training skills can be measured. The launch of the CTP program is in line with ICDL Saudi Arabia’s commitment to help IT specialists and trainers attain high level training certifications, which in turn will enhance the overall quality of IT training provided across the Kingdom.
Investing in and making the most of modern technology in education are vital as technology is one of the mainstays of the national economy; in Saudi Arabia, the total annual expenditure on communications and information technology reached up to USD 20 billion annually. In this regard, the Saudi government is keen to ensure the adoption of the ICDL programme across the Kingdom to equip the people with necessary IT skills and thereby support the remarkable growth of Saudi’s IT sector.
Unlike the traditional practice of conducting exams, CTP adopts a system called the Trainer Evidence Record, a stringent certification process wherein candidates are required to provide "evidence" that they satisfy the skills and knowledge requirements of the program. Evidence can be classified as documentary and performance; documentary evidence includes training plans, session plans, analysis forms and evaluation forms; while performance evidence is a video of a candidate's training delivery, which will allow ICDL to better evaluate core skills including communication, instruction, questioning and feedback.
Dr. Sulaiman Al-Dhalaan, Managing Director, ICDL Saudi Arabia, said: “The Certified Training Professional programme will help us in our efforts to ensure that the IT training provided in KSA is of the highest standard. It also makes the trainers highly competent and skillful, which will go a long way in improving the skills of candidates enrolling for the ICDL program, while also encouraging a digital culture in Saudi Arabia. In line with this, we are keen to support initiatives that complement our programs and strategies that are aimed at creating a knowledge-based digital society in the country.”
Dr. Eltayeb Abuelyaman, CTP trainer and Dean of the college of computer science in Prince Sultan University said, “The first workshop on the Certified Training Professional programme proved to be very successful due to the effective coordination between the organisers, the comprehensive planning and the launch of the world’s first Trainer Evidence Record in English and Arabic versions. We would also like to laud the efforts of ICDL Saudi Arabia, which launched this initiative in order to enhance digital knowledge among both trainers and trainees. The workshop was an important platform in exchanging knowledge and experiences related to ICDL training. The success of this program would not have been possible if not for the efforts of the organisers, which include Prince Sultan University, one of the most important educational organisations in Saudi Arabia.”
Mohammed Al Alfi, founder and trainer of ICDL in Barik Alebda Training Center and also a participant in the CTP program, said, “The workshop helped us familiarise with the latest training programmes and methods in the IT domain while also helping us acquire new skills in digital applications. We are confident that the Certified Training Professional programme will help the ICDL trainees develop their skills in order to keep pace with the rapid development of the world’s IT sector. Looking ahead, we will reaffirm our commitment to continue the success of this program through launching new educational initiatives and expanding its scope to cover various sectors in the KSA with an underlying goal of building a new generation of IT experts who will lead the implementation of modern technology to ensure development of the society.”
Suitable for both trainers and organisations, the CTP certification is independent of prior qualifications as it requires candidates to provide actual demonstration of their competency. Furthermore, CTP provides trainers and training organisations with an objective quality standard that will serve as a benchmark for their own training services.
In addition, CTP has also been developed to recognise and certify best practice on the part of individual trainers, while allowing training providers to be distinguished based on the quality of their services and training delivery. The program is appropriate for candidates who have at least a three-year experience in delivering ICDL/IT training, including course design, preparation of training plans and course evaluation.