Arun ShankarIn alignment with the Saudi Vision 2030 to promote a knowledge-based economy, Princess Nourah bint Abdulrahman University, the largest university for women in the world, partners with national and international organisations to provide distinguished degrees and certificates for Saudi female students and graduates. PNU partnered with Dublin City University to launch the first Masters in Computing degree with specialisation in Data Analytics in Saudi Arabia.
With the vision of providing a comprehensive learning programme for women and recognising the requirement for new skills with the influx of technological developments, the College of Computer and Information Sciences is embedding a variety of certifications and technical training into its curriculum for three bachelor degrees, Computer Science, Information Systems and Information Technology.
As a member of Dell EMC’s External Research and Academic Alliance Programme, the college has successfully trained and certified 57 female data science and big data analytics students this semester with an additional 103 students certified in Cloud Infrastructure. The leading university also successfully introduced VMware Install, Configure and Manage course as an elective training course for senior students.
Advancements in education of the future workforce are at the core of the Saudi Arabia’s Vision 2030 and the National Transformation Programme in addition to the focus of the national curriculum and training on innovation in advanced technologies and entrepreneurship.
A recent study by Dell Technologies titled Realising 2030: A Divided Vision of the Future highlighted the lack of workforce readiness as the leading barrier in the Middle East to becoming a successful digital business in 2030, further emphasising the need for skill development among existing employees and future generations. The explosion of data further fuels the requirement for individuals to build expertise in niche and specialised fields as digital environments continue to evolve.
Catering to the vision of driving workforce readiness through academic solutions, Dell EMC actively engages with academic thought leaders and business partners to foster research partnerships and unique programs including foundational IT courses. These courses cover information storage and management, cloud infrastructure and services, data science and big data analytics, and data protection and management. The programme also provides free e-learning technology courses to institutions.
Auhood Alfaries, Dean College of Computer and Information Sciences, Princess Nourah bint Abdulrahman University, said “Building a comprehensive curriculum to cover the essential knowledge area for the computing disciplines and to equip our students with the skills required for the future workplace is a priority for Princess Nourah bint Abdulrahman University. We strive to continually evolve to contribute towards building a knowledge-based economy, in alignment with the Saudi Vision 2030, through strategic academic partnerships such as the Dell EMC External Research and Academic Alliance programme which plays a crucial role in effectively developing our students into tomorrow’s workforce.”
Mohammed Amin, Senior Vice President and Regional Manager, Middle East, Turkey and Africa, Dell EMC, said “The unrelenting pace of digital transformation in the marketplace is creating new challenges for all of us where organisations as well as individuals are increasingly realising that investing in workforce readiness and the development of new skills is key to future success and competitive differentiation. Dell EMC recognises successful digital transformation requires more than technology and therefore we are helping leading universities develop the critical talent required for the future and ultimately fuel digital progress.”
Marwa Zaghow, Senior Manager, External Research & Academic Alliances, Europe, Middle East, and Africa, Dell EMC, said “The Dell EMC External Research and Academic Alliance programme collaborates with innovative colleges and universities like Princess Nourah bint Abdulrahman University to effectively contribute to the regional priority of developing IT skillsets among the youth and specifically women. Through courses focused on technology concepts and principles applicable to any vendor environment, the programme enables students to develop highly marketable knowledge and skills required in today’s dynamic IT industry.”
