The Ministry of Interior, represented by Abu Dhabi Police GHQ, has signed a cooperation agreement with Zayed University and Sisco to provide training rot he inmates of the correctional and punitive facilities in the UAE, in the first initiative of its kind in the Middle East and Africa.
Under the agreement, training courses on computer skills, network technologies will be offered to inmates who will be qualified to obtain internationally accredited occupational certificates.
The program will start initially in two facilities before expanding to other seven correctional facilities in the country.
The agreement was signed by Major General Ahmed Nasser Al Raisi, Director General of Abu Dhabi Police Central Operations and Leon Jololian, Dean of IT College, Zayed University.
Under the agreement, the Zayed University will host at its premises in Abu Dhabi some of Abu Dhabi Police personnel to train them as instructors in some specialized subjects who will then teach the inmates of the correctional and punitive facilities.
The program aims to prepare the inmates and provide them with technical skills to enhance their chances in obtaining suitable good income jobs after completing their jail terms.
Major General Al Raisi said the ministry of interior seeks, in cooperation with Zayed University and SISCO, to rehabilitate the inmates so that they are able to go back to normal life and contribute constructively to the community and build their technical skills.
For his part, Vice Chairman of Zayed University, Dr. Suleiman Al Jassem said that the initiative is a qualitative achievement for the university and the ministry of interior which embodies the advanced concepts to rehabilitate inmates and train them on different professions.
He indicated that the university will provide educational methods and modern academic facilities and seeks to invest its scientific expertise in the service of the community institutions, with a support and follow up from Sheikh Nahyan bin Mubarak Al Nahyan, Minister of Higher Education and Scientific Research and Chairman of Zayed University.
Wayen Hall, Director General of Cisco, UAE said: we are proud that the Ministry of Interior has chosen to collaborate with Sisco in its efforts to ultimately provide ICT skills to improve career and economic opportunities for the inmates of correctional and punitive facilities in the UAE,
The Cisco Networking Academy provides a vital long-term solution in the form of creating a highly skilled and well trained local work force. This is critical for accelerating and sustaining economic growth, he further added.
The Cisco Networking Academy is an education oriented, non-profit making, and globally recognized IT program. It serves to nurture IT professionals and contribute to the implementation of IT education in the world. The project- driven education program provides students in the world with a unique, Internet based Curriculum combined with hands on experience that will help them develop practical computer networking knowledge and skills needed for the internet age.
The program received huge success in the UAE, as over 6.000 students have been trained since the launch of the program in 1999. A total of 42 educational institutions in the country take part in the program with 1725 students having enrolled in the program of which 51% are female students, the highest rate globally.
Zayed University has joined Cisco Networking Academy Program in 2004 and it is hosted by the College of information technology which has included the program curricula within its networking technology and security specialization.
Zayed University is one of four centers in the gulf region for supporting and training educational institutions enrolled in the Program. Currently it provides t