The participation of Saudi women in International Computer Driving License (ICDL) training programs across the Kingdom rose to 35 percent in 2009 and is expected to increase to around 50 percent during the next few years, according to a high-ranking official of ICDL Saudi Arabia, the governing body and certification authority of the ICDL program in the Kingdom. Dr. Sulaiman Al-Dhalaan, Consultant, ICDL Saudi Arabia, said the number of women participating in ICDL training programs across the Kingdom rose from 10 percent in 2006 to 35 percent by the end of 2009. “The number of Saudi women participating in the program is expected to grow to around 50 percent within the next few years,” he said in a press statement. Al-Dhalaan said to ensure the greater adoption of ICDL training into their academic programs, ICDL Saudi Arabia has been closely coordinating with women-only educational institutions such as Princess Noura Bint Abdulrahman University, the Kingdom's first university for women. Other prominent academic institutions such as King Saud University, Taibah University and Al-Baha University already have women students enrolled in the ICDL program, he said. This trend complements government efforts to enhance the IT competency of Saudi women, expand their employment opportunities and increase their overall participation in the socio-economic development of the country, he said. “The appointment of Norah Bint Abdullah Al-Fayez, a former teacher, as Saudi Arabia's first Deputy Education Minister last year shows the growing confidence in the ability of women to become productive members of Saudi society,” Al-Dhalaan said. He said that Saudi women have strong potential in ICT, which has emerged as one of the Kingdom's key growth sectors. So far there has been a very positive response from women to ICDL's various initiatives, which will intensify further through government assistance, he added. ICDL Saudi Arabia has been engaging in various agreements with private organizations and key government departments such as the Ministry of Education and the Ministry of Communications and Information Technology, as part of the expansion of the ICDL program. It has also been cooperating with the country's 32 local universities on the inclusion of ICDL modules in their curricula, he said. Through ICDL Saudi Arabia's efforts, more women are now using their ICT skills to work from home as freelance writers, translators or designers and to collaborate with clients and partners, the official said. __
