Launch of the National Skilling Programme and the opening of the Digital Centre of Excellence

Engineer Mashael Ali al-Hammadi, Acting Assistant Undersecretary of Information Technology at MCIT

The National Skilling Programme, was launched yesteerday by the Ministry of Communications and Information Technology (MCIT) in collaboration with Microsoft.

Through the program, approximatley 50,000 people across all demographics by 2025 will be trained, where they will be able to advance thier digital skills and needed to drive innovation and contribute to boosting the country's regional and global competitiveness.

The program aims to accelerate sustainable human development and digital transformation in line with Qatar National Vision 2030. 

The launch also concides with the opening ceremony of the Digital Centre of Excellence, located at Msheireb Downtown Doha.

The ceremony was led by HE Mohamed bin Ali al-Mannai, Minister of Communications and Information Technology, in the presence of ministers and government officials, as well as executives from the private sector.

In partnership with Elev8, the Digital Centre of Excellence is part of the National Skilling Programme and aims to create a highly-skilled workforce for a rapidly growing, diversifying, and technologically advanced economy.

Engineer Mashael Ali al-Hammadi, Acting Assistant Undersecretary of Information Technology at MCIT, said: “The human development pillar of Qatar National Vision 2030 motivates us on a daily basis to empower and equip the people of Qatar with the skills needed to develop the country into an advanced society capable of sustaining its development and providing a high standard of living for its people''.

“The launch of the National Skilling Programme and the opening of the Digital Centre of Excellence will be key to this effort, providing advanced knowledge of modern technology and cloud computing that will empower all demographics.” she further added. 

“Digital transformation will drive new economic opportunities for the people of Qatar – that’s why we must ensure that everyone has access to the skills needed to succeed in the digital era.'',said Microsoft executive vice president Jean-Philippe Courtois.

“The Digital Centre of Excellence will play an important role in this effort by empowering the nation’s digital workforce to leverage the power of the cloud to build a digital economy that is both advanced and sustainable.” he further added.

Microsoft Qatar's general manager, Lana Khalaf, said the official launch of the National Skilling Programme and the Digital Centre of Excellence are major milestones in the tech company's long-standing partnership with MCIT.

“Our efforts represent our joint commitment to unlock opportunities for the people of Qatar in the digital era by developing the technical skills of students as well as those already in the workforce,” she said.

Khalaf said more than 13,000 people in Qatar received training and certification in just 18 months across a variety of roles and audiences. This included students, teachers, IT professionals, developers, and business leaders.

Msheireb Properties CEO Nasser Matar al-Kuwari said, “As a smart community built on intelligent, state-of-the-art technology systems, our goal has always been to establish Msheireb Downtown Doha as a centre of innovation. Within this goal, we aim to become the home of various Information and Communications Technology (ICT) institutions that enhance the technical capabilities of the people of Qatar and unlock the potential of the next generation of digital pioneers.

Through globally recognized, industry-endorsed skilling tracks, the Digital Center of Excellence helps students and professionals develop their technical skills.