ICT skills deemed essential by 85 per cent of jobs in government sector

UAE, December 7, 2015 – ICDL Arabia, the regional arm of the ECDL Foundation, has recently noted that 85 per cent of jobs in the public sector deem ICT skills an essential requirement for people who are interested applying for various positions. The survey took into account administrative, customer service, operational, sales and business development, marketing, and management roles. In an effort to equip the public with the necessary skill sets, ICDL has restructured its certificate program to address the labour market’s emerging needs

Jamil Ezzo, Director General of ICDL Arabia, said: “We must redefine the meaning of basic digital skills, skills in commonly-known office applications remain to be necessary, but they are no longer sufficient for today’s workplace. Technology continues to evolve as should the ICT skills of all those that use technology. We believe the new ICT skills framework we are introducing is a necessity for all adults to perform their societal and professional responsibilities.”

“It is crucial to invest in people to educate them with the latest skills to cater to the latest ICT trends in the market by implementing the relevant training programs to provide them with the necessary capacities to match the market’s job requirements. To this end, ICDL has restructured its certification program to provide essential training in Social Media, IT Security and Online Collaboration to reflect the latest technologies and emerging ICT trends as they apply today. ICDL had previously announced the release of certifications in IT Security, Project Planning, Online Collaboration and Health Information System Usage (HIS). All these can also be obtained as part of the ICDL Standard Certification or alternatively gained as stand-alone independent certifications,” he added.

ICDL encourages governments in the GCC region that the ICDL international standard, backed by the consensus of its 50 member computer societies around the world, has redefined the term ‘digital literacy’ to include new essential ICT skills in social media, cyber safety and Internet security. Considered as a thought leader and an advocate of digital skills for all, ICDL’s move comes amid the widespread and unrestricted use of social media and handheld devices as well as growing concerns among employers over the misuse of online communications and smart devices.