Over the past few decades, the world has witnessed radical changes that have led to a quantum leap in many areas. Of these changes, the technological revolution is considered one of the most important in the world because of its impact on social, economic, cultural and educational conditions of different societies, including the Arab World and the GCC in particular. Accordingly, the Gulf region began adopting certain strategies to keep pace with the continuous technological progress, particularly in the field of information technology (IT) as computers and various IT applications started to show enormous impact on business productivity. Consistent with the new trends, the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia was one of the leading countries to adopt proactive plans and policies that included the implementation of the International Computer Driving License (ICDL) standard as part of the Kingdom's efforts to establish a digital society. ICDL is an integrated program that enables individuals to acquire fundamental skills to use computers and its basic applications. In addition, the program boost efforts to improve productivity across all private and public sector organizations in the country as ICDL-accredited training courses were designed to empower employees through essential computer skills and knowledge. Guided by the vision and directions of King Abdullah, the Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques, to build a society wherein all members are able to participate in nation building, the government started to develop strategies that encourage women participation in the development process of the Kingdom. In line with this, the Council of Ministers issued a resolution to increase the employment of women in suitable areas of both the public and private sectors, resulting in more Saudi women being integrated into the labor market through the efforts of a number of dedicated organizations. One of the organizations that have been highly committed to support women empowerment is the General Organization for Technical and Vocational Training, which has worked to increase the rate of involvement of women in the job market by providing them with various technical and vocational training. In the addition, the organization has also helped in developing e-recruitment programs that focus on finding suitable job opportunities for women. ICDL has served as a valuable complementary initiative in promoting the participation of women in the development of the Saudi society by establishing dedicated training centers for women to learn the principles of using computer according to global standards. In addition, these training centers offer exams and certifications that guarantee skills related to IT and computer applications such as file management, word processing, spreadsheets, databases, presentations, information and communications. Indeed, the modern lifestyle has introduced new tools such as computers and the Internet that have opened a huge window of opportunity for Saudi women to become much more involved in the socioeconomic development of the country, without compromising cultural norms and religious beliefs. With several Saudi women having enlisted in different centers that offer ICDL training and certification, there has likewise been a growing number of women who have gainfully taken advantage of the opportunity to work at home as freelance writers, translators, designers, or telecommuters - using their home office and home-based IT equipment to communicate and collaborate with their clients. Government departments and many private companies have now started setting up more women-only work centers to accommodate an increasing number of women who are expected to enter the work force. The Ministry of Telecommunications and Information Technology recently embarked on a major project aimed at setting up office space for women workers that are consistent with religious and cultural standards, in an attempt to help accelerate women's participation in the public service. The Ministry also intends to establish similar centers in the Kingdom's 13 regions and major cities at a later stage. In a previous statement, the Labor Ministry had said that it will coordinate with the Telecom and IT Ministry to establish infrastructure facilities required by such work centers. The Ministry of Education, on the other hand, has assured that it will nominate a number of women leaders already working in various educational departments and offices to fill the position of Director General of Learning and Education in more than 41 educational units for girls in the various regions of the Kingdom. Saudi universities have also actively participated in the initiative as several of them have already adopted ICDL within their educational curriculum. The Princess Noura Bint Abdul Rahman University, the first university for women in Saudi Arabia, was one of the leading universities to adopt the ICDL standard. The university has made ICDL accreditation one of the requirements for first year of preparatory study, which will enable women students to use modern educational tools such as computers in their studies and future careers. The Girls Department of the King Saud University has taken similar measures to improve educational standards for women. The initiatives launched by major universities in the Kingdom are considered significant steps towards influencing other universities, institutes and academic organizations in Saudi Arabia to support the nation-wide women-empowerment initiative. At the moment, around 120 out of 300 ICDL training centers accredited by the Ministry of Civil Service in Saudi offer special training for women. These centers also provide ICDL examinations in accordance with international standards. Since their establishment, the centers have become very popular as ICDL certification helps women gain access to a lot more work opportunities. In addition, the awareness campaign around the country has increased, enabling a greater number of young women to appreciate the importance of acquiring IT skills to help improve their own career development prospects and subsequently help promote the development of the country. According to a report by the Riyadh Chamber of Commerce and Industry, nearly 250,000 Saudi women currently work at government departments and 45,000 others at private firms. Furthermore, Saudi women are more likely to have advanced degrees than the men. The total number of Saudi women is expected to exceed that of their male counterparts by 2010 when the Saudi population is estimated to cross 26 million. Despite all the efforts to promote the role of women in the society, their participation in development process is still very limited because of a number of challenges and constraints, including the private sector's failure to create sufficient opportunities for women employment. Some recent researches have indicated that about 90 percent of Saudi businesswomen invest in the stock market, while there are about 1,500 companies owned by women. These statistics reveal great potential, especially since a greater majority of the Saudi women remain untapped for the national labor market and various investment initiatives. Developing the IT skills of women through ICDL certification will help women fully realize their potential and thus maximize their contribution to the local economy.
