Rochester Institute of Technology Dubai (RIT Dubai), a global American University in Dubai, UAE, has collaborated with IBM to equip its students with future-ready skills in the fields of data science and analytics through the IBM Skills Academy programme.

The IBM Skills Academy is a training and certification programme that is designed to bridge the skill gap between the University and the market industry.

Through this collaboration, RIT students will be given the opportunity to gain new key digital skills, improve their employability and act as accelerators for entrepreneurship to motivate economic growth.

This programme is one of IBM's set of initiatives that are designed to address the skills gap in the region and digitally enable current and future talent.

In 2017, Smart Dubai and RIT signed an agreement to develop a specialised interdisciplinary Master's degree in Data Science and Analytics.

Under the new collaboration, IBM will also help RIT in formulating and teaching the introductory courses of the Master’s degree and provide mentorship opportunities for the Master’s degree students.

RIT Dubai President Dr Yousef Al Assaf said it was delighted to co-operate with IBM.

"We are proud to cooperate with IBM, a leader in the information technology sector worldwide. The IBM skills academy will concentrate on preparing students to face the future advancements and challenges," noted Dr Al Assaf.

A branch university of RIT New York, it is located in and sponsored by Dubai Silicon Oasis. Established in 2008, RIT University in Dubai is accredited both in the US and by the UAE Ministry of Higher Education.

"We are looking to equip our students with hands on experience, not only the theoretical aspect of learning, and IBM is the best partner for this," he added.

Amr Refaat, General Manager, IBM Middle East and Pakistan, said: "Data is the driving force behind innovation, transformation and any strategic decision."

“Equipping our talent and future leaders with the necessary data and analytics skills will not only improve their employability but accelerate their contribution to innovation and economic growth,” he added.-TradeArabia News Service