Strengthening the development skills of the ICT Graduate
Introduction:
This project will focus on the ICT sector across several Mediterranean Partner Countries
(PC). The project will address the need to improve the software development skills of the
ICT specialist. Currently, the ICT applications are limited in scope and size. They focus
on a very limited set of ICT application while staying away from the larger market share
and the global recognition. The Local MED ICT market has a lot of potential that can go
beyond these limits. The number of ICT graduates, the proximity to the EU market, and
the low cost of software development are all factors that encourage the investment in the
MED ICT sector.
A lot of questions and concerns surround the software development market in the Middle
East. It is very surprising that this market did not live up to its potential similar to other
markets such as India. Current application still depend on very small scale teams and
more often focus on very low-end applications such as web site development as well as
very limited introduction into the e-business applications (as in e-learning and ecommerce). This project will address this deficiency and will put together a plan to revive
the middle-eastern software development market and place it on the global map where it
really belongs.
Brief description of the project
This main objective of this project is to improve the MED ICT sector via special training
programs targeted for ICT specialists and students. The “proposed” training is focused
mainly on the software development process and the various components related to it.
The overall outcome of the training is to improve the market potential and the quality
level of the Software development market across the Middle East. The proposed
changes will allow the local ICT sector to reach the desired state where MED software
development market can develop products and services that are relevant to the local as
well as the global market needs. It will also allow the MED market to enter into the
larger-scale software development and IT outsourcing business.
This proposal involves creating a training center that can be used physically and virtually
to train software developers. The center will focus training on various aspects of the
software development process such as software configuration management, software
design process, business management, quality assurance (QA) as well as standards
and guidelines. It will also provide a virtual environment that software developers can tap
into to train on various software tool and configurations. It should be strongly noted here
that the “proposed” training center will not offer training in areas offered by other training
organizations. For instance, a majority of ICT training business focus on certification type
training such as Cisco Academy, Microsoft Certifications as well as areas such as Java,
Web development to name a few. Instead, the training referred to here is meant to
address a specific deficiency in the middle-eastern ICT market, mainly, the software
development process.
The proposal will also highlight the need to train the necessary staff to operate the
center thru EU partners. This project will also highlight the need to enforce global
standard and quality assurance guidance on the MED ICT sector. A team of well trained
experts will be formed to set the standard level for the process as well as create a forum
to provide certification of standard and QA compliance.
Main Objectives:
The main objective of this project is to improve the software development skills of the
MED ICT graduate.
 Establish a center for the training of Software developers according to EU
guidelines.
 Establish a standard certification process for software developers.
 Establish a national team to formalize software development standards as well
as pick responsibilities for Quality Assurance (QA) aspects of the software
development process.
Other Objectives:
 Strengthen the Software development and outsourcing market by building
working relationship with EU partners.
 Bridge the gap between Academia and industry for ICT students by providing the
necessary training to prepare them for the work environment.
 Support the creation of a network for IT centers of excellence to promote and
support national strategies and activities targeted for the ICT sector.
 Enforce the role of business and technology incubators in modern day societies
and their much needed support to support innovation and entrepreneurship in
developed countries.
Plan:
1. Establish training center and equip lab with necessary resources.
2. Identify training needs for software developers, focus on the process, standards
and quality assurance.
3. Identify staff resources needed to run the training center
4. Identify training needs for the staff in accordance with EU institution guidelines
and offerings.
5. Increase the knowledge of the global outsourcing market, the players, offerings
and strategies.
6. Create a forum to address the need for use of standard techniques and
procedures. Help Middle Eastern companies raise their level of adherence to
international standards of technology development.
7. Create close links and enhance cooperation between MED ICT graduates and
international software companies.
8. Conduct training programs for managers to cover different management aspects
including sales, marketing and business development.
9. Identify and Implement certification programs that will help raise the professional
level of MED software developers.
Target (at a national level):
1. ICT faculty and staff
2. Recent ICT graduates as well as Senior-level IT students.
3. Local MED Software companies
4. Small Business enterprises
Estimated Partners:
1. Higher Education Institutions,
2. ICT Centers of Excellence,
3. European Software market players,
4. EU Higher Education Institutions,
5. Software Development consulting firms,
6. Software development and outsourcing experts
Duration:
3 years
Estimated Budget: 1,200,000 Euros
Contact Person:
Mohamed Al Najar
Director
Business and Technology Incubator
Islamic University of Gaza
Mail: mdnajar@iugaza.edu.ps
Tel: (+970) 8 2860700 Ext. 1294