Tecom Investments, a diversified conglomerate, and EMC Corporation, a leader in information infrastructure, have teamed up to work on a programme designed to help prepare future IT professionals for successful careers.

Under the Memorandum of Understanding (MoU), the two companies will work together on joint initiatives through the EMC Academic Alliance programme, a collaboration with colleges and universities around the globe to address the widening knowledge gap resulting from explosive data growth.

Additionally, as part of EMC’s Fresh Graduates hire programme, the joint effort will help provide job opportunities to the top talented students upon graduation.

“The UAE has achieved significant accomplishments in building the foundations for an information and knowledge-based society,” said Abdullatif AlMulla, CEO of Tecom Investments.

“Developing a strong educational base is imperative to ensuring the sustained development of our future generations, especially in a dynamic ICT industry.  Working with EMC, the world’s leading developer and provider of information infrastructure technology, will strengthen our efforts to empower our graduates with the needed education that boosts their readiness and takes advantage of the latest technologies transforming IT today.”

Joe Tucci, chairman and CEO of EMC said, “The explosive growth of digital information is a major challenge facing the IT industry. It is a call to action, to fundamentally change the way we build, operate, and consume IT.”

“Tecom and EMC understand that it’s imperative that graduates entering this rapidly transforming industry be able to fully leverage enhanced and emerging technologies. EMC is committed to technology enablement in the markets in which we operate, and develop education programs with companies like Tecom will play an important role.”

Dr Ayoub Kazim, managing director, Tecom Investments’ Education Cluster, said: “The important role played by the ICT sector is well acknowledged, both as a driver of economic activity and a contributor to almost every other industry.”

“In this scenario, the demand for human resources that meet the needs of the ICT industry is continually growing. We look forward to supporting EMC’s Academic Alliance program through collaborations with our academic partners at Dubai International Academic City to offer programs that respond to industry requirements.”

Mohammed Amin, EMC senior vice president and regional manager for Turkey, Emerging Africa and Middle East Region, said: “EMC recognizes the positive impact that technology can have on people’s lives and on the role it plays to strengthen the economy, especially in countries like UAE, pioneering to adopt the latest technologies.”

“The EMC Academic Alliance program is a key social investment asset that EMC offers to education institutions to help them advance transformational technologies among the youth and bridge the growing knowledge and skills gap businesses are facing today.”

The EMC Academic Alliance programme offers four ‘open’ curricula – Information Storage and Management, Cloud Infrastructure and Services, Data Science and Big Data Analytics and Backup Recovery Systems and Architecture – which focus on the principles, best practices and underlying technology most prevalent in the industry, rather than specific vendors’ products to Tecom’s academic institutions specializing in IT. – TradeArabia News Service