- Oil company’s offshore workforce to undergo world-class computer literacy certification
Zakum Development Company (ZADCO), a major Abu Dhabi-based oil company, has announced that it will extend its 3-year partnership agreement with ICDL GCC Foundation, the governing body of the ICDL certification program in the Gulf Region, to ensure that its offshore workforce has computer literacy training.
The move broadens the 2006 agreement between ZADCO and ICDL GCC Foundation, which established ZADCO’s internal IT training centre as an ICDL Approved Training and Testing Centre. Under the terms of this agreement, the oil company’s new employees are required to obtain the ICDL certification in line with corporate productivity targets. The ICDL GCC Foundation has since been overseeing the delivery quality of the ICDL training and testing; and providing support in the form of courseware and guidance.
Juma Al Muhairi, Assistant General Manager, ZADCO, said: “Today’s competitive business environments require highly-skilled and multi-functional human resources. An IT–enabled workforce offers higher productivity levels that provide the desired market edge. Expanding our ICDL program to our offshore operations will enable us to further boost productivity to attain our corporate development goals. This is also our own contribution to national and regional efforts towards the establishment of a knowledge-based economy.”
“The Gulf’s IT infrastructure continues to expand rapidly, so the region’s businesses must train their employees accordingly to take full advantage of information and communication technologies. The ICDL certification program offers an efficient and world-class approach to providing basic computer skills that will help the workforce keep pace with this growth. We will ensure that ZADCO’s successful experience in enhancing the IT literacy of its employees over the past three years will extend to its remote offshore operations,” said Jamil Ezzo, Director General, ICDL GCC Foundation.
ZADCO was established in 1977 to develop and operate the Upper Zakum Field, one of the largest oil fields in the world, on behalf of ADNOC and Japan Oil Development Company. Besides Upper Zakum, the company currently operates the Umm Al Dalkh and Satah fields. ZADCO adopts the latest technologies in developing and operating these oil fields. Its commitment to health, safety, and environmental sustainability has made it one of the leading oil companies in the UAE.
The ECDL/ICDL program recently marked its historic 9 millionth enrollment, over 1 million of which has been jointly contributed by the ICDL GCC Foundation and the UNESCO Cairo Office in the development of computer skills in Arab countries. The ICDL GCC Foundation continues to aggressively promote and supervise ICDL initiatives throughout the region to increase employability, enhance the workforce productivity, and raise economic competitiveness.
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