Egypt's Information Technology Industry Development Agency (ITIDA) launched an online training initiative to scale up young people's tech skills through "Udacity" (the global online learning platform that trains the world's workforce for the careers of the future) amid the coronavirus. The initiative provides a free 18-month online scholarship to 100,000 Egyptians in a move to help them master the latest tech fields and practice the basic skill sets that the job market requires, Ahram Online reported on Satutday. ITIDA said that the initiative comes as part of Egypt's Ministry of Communication and Information Technology's strategy to invest heavily in building local talent and reinforcing the country's huge and well-educated workforce. It added that the technology training program aims to equip young people with the necessary tools and skills of the freelancing market, help them master remote work, and excel in future digital jobs. "With the strong momentum towards going all-digital, we offer our young people a unique virtual academy with free nanodegree programs. It has never been a better time to launch such initiative as COVID-19 is expected to make the freelance market grow rapidly, and will push organisations and governments to accelerate the adoption of digital services, thus the demand for gigs and remote work opportunities will soar," CEO of ITIDA Hala El-Gohary said. The scholarship program, titled Future Work is Digital (FWD), is focused on teaching web development, data analytics, and digital marketing, according to the statement. It also provides learners with an integrated learning and up-skilling experience which includes access to the Udacity online learning classroom, hands-on-practice, expert-reviewed projects, online support webinars, professional industry mentors, interactive peer-to-peer community and continuous coaching, according to the statement. Learners will be able to access and register for the scholarship through a dedicated website which ITIDA has launched to help them navigate the tracks and choose the appropriate training course according to their skills level.
