The Ministry of Information & Communications Technology (ictQATAR) and Community College of Qatar (CCQ) have signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) to collaborate to empower and train Qatari youth to use ICT effectively and opening up a world of possibilities for them.

The MoU will provide a foundation for both parties to benefit from each other’s expertise, resources and initiatives to introduce Qatari students to the benefits of ICTs and unique opportunities in the sector. As entailed in the MoU, this partnership will help equip the CCQ students with relevant experiences and connect them with potential employers, which would help build skilled Qatari workforce in this critical sector.

The MoU was signed by H.E. Dr. Hessa Al-Jaber, Minister of Information and Communications Technology, and Prof. Ibrahim Saleh Al-Naimi, President of Community College of Qatar.

The MoU is part of the Ministry’s mandate to build a pool of skilled workforce in the field of ICT, as well as help fulfill CCQ’s commitment as an educational institution responsible for providing quality higher education and training programs for workforce in the State of Qatar.

“The MoU provides the framework to foster collaboration between the Ministry and the Community College of Qatar, aiming to enhance the students’ technical skills, and harness their capabilities in accordance with job market requirements. This effectively lends to our strategic objective of building skilled local cadres and workforce within the sector,” said Dr. Hessa Al-Jaber, Minister of Information and Communications Technology.

“I sincerely hope that our mutual collaboration will continue to grow in the interest of the CCQ students and the entire Qatari society,” Dr. Hessa said, adding, “I would like to emphasize that the Ministry, through its resources, projects and expertise, is committed to offering all possible facilitations to improve students’ experiences and skills.”

“This MoU is the fruit of distinguished relationship between the Ministry of Information and Communications Technology and the Community Collage of Qatar, which, since established, has been supported by ictQATAR , which made a great difference to the College and its programs,” said Prof. Ibrahim Saleh Al-Naimi, President of Community College of Qatar.

“We are confident this MoU will enhance our bilateral relationship by taking our mutual collaboration to higher levels, which will reflect positively on students and on Qatari society at large. We are working to raise awareness of the optimal use of ICT for the goodness of the society through the provision of qualified local cadres capable of using and managing ICT in Qatar, he added.

As described in the MoU, the Ministry, in its enabling capability, shall collaborate with CCQ on a number of joint initiatives through its existing projects and programs including TumuhaTEC, the Digital Incubation Centre (DIC), Q-CERT, and the Qatar Assistive Technology Center (Mada).

Some of the key deliverables described in the MoU include:

1. Setting up of a dedicated “Student Entrepreneurship Support Center (SESC)” onsite at CCQ to serve as a supporting system for students interested in ICT. Through this centre, DIC shall encourage and support digital entrepreneurship among CCQ students.
2. Working with CCQ to include its students in the TumuhaTEC internship program activities and scholarship opportunities including ICT workshops, etc. for CCQ.
3. Working with CCQ through Qatar Computer Emergency Response Team (Q-CERT) to develop relevant vocational programs, assist in maintaining a safe and secure campus network, among other information security matters.
4. Assisting CCQ to ensure access for and inclusion of students with disabilities at the institution’s both campuses, through the Qatar Assistive Technology Center (Mada).

A six-member advisory committee representing the two organizations equally, will now be established to develop a project implementation plan, scope of work documents, and a collaboration agreement to better define the framework for this mutually beneficial collaboration.