ICDL Saudi Arabia, the governing body and certification authority of the International Computer Driving Licence (ICDL) programme in the Kingdom, has commenced recently the “Certified Training Professional” (CTP) program in Saudi Arabia to provide male and female ICDL trainers with a mass-based higher-level skills proficiency training for various essential IT applications. The “Certified Training Professional” is an international qualification in IT training providing trainers and teachers with objective quality standards against which their own training skills can be measured. The launch of the CTP program is in line with ICDL Saudi Arabia's commitment to help IT specialists and trainers attain high level training certifications, which in turn will enhance the overall quality of IT training provided across the Kingdom. Investing in and making the most of modern technology in education are vital as technology is one of the mainstays of the national economy. In Saudi Arabia, the total annual expenditure on communications and information technology reached up to $20 billion annually. In this regard, the Saudi government is keen to ensure the adoption of the ICDL programme across the Kingdom to equip the people with necessary IT skills and thereby support the remarkable growth of Saudi's IT sector. Unlike the traditional practice of conducting exams, CTP adopts a system called the Trainer Evidence Record, a stringent certification process wherein candidates are required to provide “evidence” that they satisfy the skills and knowledge requirements of the program. Evidence can be classified as documentary and performance; documentary evidence includes training plans, session plans, analysis forms and evaluation forms; while performance evidence is a video of a candidate's training delivery, which will allow ICDL to better evaluate core skills including communication, instruction, questioning and feedback. Suitable for both trainers and organizations, the CTP certification is independent of prior qualifications as it requires candidates to provide actual demonstration of their competency. Furthermore, CTP provides trainers and training organizations with an objective quality standard that will serve as a benchmark for their own training services. In addition, CTP has also been developed to recognize and certify best practice on the part of individual trainers, while allowing training providers to be distinguished based on the quality of their services and training delivery. The program is appropriate for candidates who have at least a three-year experience in delivering ICDL/IT training, including course design, preparation of training plans and course evaluation. Dr. Sulaiman Al-Dhalaan, managing director, ICDL Saudi Arabia, said: “The Certified Training Professional programme will help us in our efforts to ensure that the IT training provided in KSA is of the highest standard. It also makes the trainers highly competent and skillful, which will go a long way in improving the skills of candidates enrolling for the ICDL program, while also encouraging a digital culture in Saudi Arabia. In line with this, we are keen to support initiatives that complement our programs and strategies that are aimed at creating a knowledge-based digital society in the country.”
