ICT Fund’s “Betha” program garners success at Tawdheef 2014

03/02/2014

ICT Fund, an initiative by the Telecommunications Regulatory Authority (TRA) that supports the national ICT sector, today announced that its ‘Betha’ program garnered a positive response at Tawdheef 2014, UAE’s leading career and recruitment exhibition for UAE Nationals. Tawdheef 2014 is taking place February 3^rd – 5^th, 2014 at the Abu Dhabi National Exhibition Centre.

ICT Fund’s ‘Betha’ program aims to provide scholarships supporting the education needs of motivated and capable UAE nationals who are keen to contribute to the UAE's ICT sector. It will help visitors understand the academic scholarship opportunities that are available to students within the ICT sector, including undergraduate degrees and postgraduate degrees in the ICT space. Officials from ICT Fund will be present at its booth to answer any questions that students may have regarding the ‘Betha’ program.

Through its participation at Tawdheef 2014, ICT Fund aims to maintain open communication channels with Emirati students to update them on academic opportunities at national universities within the ICT sector. ICT Fund’s participation at the event is in line with its objective of playing a vital role in supporting the young UAE Nationals discover and create opportunities within the country’s ICT sector.

Dr. Khalifa Hamad Hareb, Member of Board of Trustees, Chairman of Universities’ Assessment Committee for ICT said: “We, at ICT Fund, are keen to support the nation’s journey in becoming a regional powerhouse within the ICT sector and we aim to play a pivotal role in nurturing the young UAE nationals. During our participation at Tawdheef 2014, we will be showcasing our ‘Betha’ program as we firmly believe that the ICT sector stands to gain tremendously by tapping into the young minds of our nation.”

ICT Fund launched the ‘Betha’ program to provide academic scholarships to UAE nationals and dedicated AED 300 million as part of the program for high school and undergraduate students interested in pursuing degrees in the ICT sector inside and outside the country. In 2013, ICT Fund provided around 400 academic seats with an estimated amount of AED100 million in the country and abroad through the ‘Betha’ program. This demonstrates the great integration and dedication ICT Fund has towards its academic strategy and proactivity to support various projects that enhances education in the nation and more specifically in the ICT sector. According to recent numbers, there were 30 Emirati graduates in the ICT sector for the academic year 2012 - 2013.

Through ‘Betha’, the ICT programme boosts the position and role of the national education sector by supporting academically distinguished national workforce and promotes the use of ICT in education. ICT Fund is able to harness all the academic resources available in the UAE universities in the field of ICT and provide an exceptional learning environment to unleash the potential of young people in the country. The ICT Fund cultivates the UAE’s ICT sector by funding and fostering innovative educational, R&D and incubation initiatives. Information and Communications Technology is a critical enabler for the UAE’s burgeoning knowledge economy and ICT Fund provides the fundamental funding and infrastructure that is required to support the continuous growth and development of this sector.