Google has announced it is announcing its Arabic language digital skills initiative with a new partnership with the Abu Dhabi government.
Through its philanthropic arm, the tech giant will grant the Emirates Foundation $300,000 to expand the scope and distribution of its Maharat min Google training programmes in the UAE.
The digital skills trainings and career pathway programs will roll out to 5,000 unemployed youth in rural areas and underserved communities, and will aim to help prepare them for and secure jobs.
The Emirates foundation is an Abu Dhabi Government initiative to facilitate youth empowerment and employment in the UAE.
The programmes will carry a target to have 50 percent of training delivered to women.
Launched in April, the Maharat min Google programme has delivered training to more 100,000 students across the Middle East, amassing mover 560,000 hours across 100 lessons and 26 core topics in digital marketing, including include search engine marketing, social media, video, e-Commerce, and data analytics.
Trainings delivered have led to 15 percent of job seekers saying they have found a job, with 20% of knowledge seekers saying they have grown in their career because of the program, according to a survey by Ipsos.
“Our partnership with Google is a critical part of our model of Youth Development which is about solving social problems systemically and at scale,” said Mohamed Al Hosani, Director of Programs at Emirates Foundation.
“This requires more than just funding. By partnering with the private sector, we offer youth a unique opportunity for advanced skills development that will prepare them for the job market. We look forward to working with Google – only collectively can we achieve our goal of creating a positive and permanent impact on the lives of young people in the UAE,” he added.
Google has announced it is seeking more local partnerships across the region with governments, universities, private-sector businesses and nonprofits to expand the program.
“Maharat Min Google is an all-Arabic and free one stop shop online platform on everything from building a website to marketing your business around the world. Earlier this year, we set out to do our part to fill this [digital skills] gap. through and we’ve been working with partners to help all Arabic speakers, whether they are students, employed individuals or job seekers to grow their skills, careers, and businesses through our digital skills program,” said Tarek Abdalla, Regional Head of Marketing, Middle East & North Africa at Google.