CompTIA, an IT industry association and leader in vendor-neutral skills certifications for the global IT workforce, has teamed up with the Ministry of Interior (MOI) Telecoms Department in Qatar, to offer key IT training courses to their employees, increasing work efficiency and productivity in the workforce.

The MOI is the first government entity in Qatar to sign such a deal, with a focus on developing the necessary technical skills of their employees - especially those involved in mobile communication and data center projects - and rely on project management, cybersecurity and general IT support, said a statement.

The courses will be available for all personnel eager to learn and develop within their roles, including technicians and engineers in the field, it said.

Capt Abdulaziz Al-Enzi, head of Training and Development at the MOI, said: "As a training and development telecommunications department, Brigadier Ali S. Al-Henzab, Head of Telecommunications Department, and MOI top management are always looking to lead the way and develop partnerships with the pioneers in the field of IT and telecommunication training.

“We chose CompTIA to provide us with the right training needed to improve our employee's technical skills and therefore increase productivity within the business. We believe that CompTIA is a leading company in the field of IT training and will greatly assist us in advancing our workforce."

Each course will provides in-depth training over a number of technical platforms, such as CompTIA Project+ covering the entire project life cycle, from initiation and planning through execution, acceptance, support and closure.

The CompTIA Linux+ course focuses on web, systems and network administration. CompTIA Mobility+ is a certification covering the knowledge and skills required to understand and research capabilities of various mobile devices.

IT certifications are growing in importance in the eyes of hiring managers and human resources (HR) professionals. A CompTIA study published earlier this year found that two-thirds of HR executives believe IT certifications are very valuable; and 94 per cent expect the importance of IT certifications to grow over the next two years.

HR professionals believe having IT job candidates with industry certifications saves time and resources in evaluating applicants, ensures a candidate's credibility and demonstrates that they have a baseline set of knowledge.

Once hired, certified IT professionals get up to speed more quickly; are more likely to stay with the organisation long term; have a higher likelihood of being promoted; and generally perform better than non-certified IT staff, according to the study.

Mark Plunkett, regional director for Europe and Middle East at CompTIA, said: ”The importance of IT certification continues to grow and supporting professional development is essential to further growth and success, for both the employees and the business.  We are very proud to have this partnership and look forward to a very long and prosperous relationship.

“The MOI is truly leading the way for other government and business entities in the region, showing the importance of using IT training to improve the quality of technical support within the company and creating positive impacts on the business with skilled and valued staff.” - TradeArabia News Service