In collaboration with Dell EMC, Princess Nourah bint Abdulrahman University (PNU), the largest university for women in the world, has successfully trained and certified the very first batch of Saudi Arabia female data scientists.
In pursuit of concretizing Saudi Vision 2030 which aims to consolidate a knowledge-based economy, PNU partners with national and international organizations to bring valuable degrees and certificates for Saudi female students and graduates.
Member of Dell EMC’s External Research and Academic Alliance Program, the College of Computer and Information Sciences offers a number of certifications and technical training courses in its curriculum mainly for degrees in computer science, information systems and information technology. Fifty seven female data science and big data analytics students were successfully trained and certified this semester with an additional 103 students certified in cloud infrastructure.
The university also integrated in its curriculum the VMware Install, Configure and Manage course as an elective training course for senior students.
Auhood Alfaries, dean of College of Computer and Information Sciences, PNU, explained, “Building a comprehensive curriculum to cover the essential knowledge area for the computing disciplines and to equip our students with the skills required for the future workplace is a priority for Princess Nourah bint Abdulrahman University. We are proud to be a leading university to actively promote the data-skilled taskforce in the Kingdom through the introduction of industry-relevant certifications and trainings.
“We strive to continually evolve to contribute toward building a knowledge-based economy, in alignment with Saudi Vision 2030, through strategic academic partnerships such as the Dell EMC External Research and Academic Alliance program which plays a crucial role in effectively developing our students into tomorrow’s workforce.”
Recently, Dell Technologies conducted a research entitled “Realizing 2030: A Divided Vision of the Future”. The latter shed light on the leading barrier in the Middle East to becoming a successful digital business in 2030 which was the lack of workforce readiness, further emphasizing the need for skill development among existing employees and future generations.
Mohammed Amin, senior vice president and regional manager, Middle East, Turkey and Africa, Dell EMC, said, “The unrelenting pace of digital transformation in the marketplace is creating new challenges for all of us where organizations as well as individuals are increasingly realizing that investing in workforce readiness and the development of new skills is key to future success and competitive differentiation.
“We congratulate Princess Nourah bint Abdulrahman University on this wonderful achievement and look forward to continuing to work with them to advance the technical education of women in the region.”
Marwa Zaghow, senior manager, External Research and Academic Alliance, Europe, Middle East, and Africa, Dell EMC, said, “The Dell EMC External Research and Academic Alliance program collaborates with innovative colleges and universities like Princess Nourah bint Abdulrahman University to effectively contribute to the regional priority of developing IT skillsets among the youth and specifically women.”