HP today announced the launch of its first HP Institute Accredited Technical Associate program in the Middle East, by signing an academic partnership with American University of Sharjah (AUS) at GITEX Technology Week.

In today's business environment, employers need IT expertise to translate business needs into technology strategies and end -to-end solutions. However, traditional IT courses do not adequately prepare students for assessing technology requirements in the context of organizational objectives.

HP and AUS signed a MoU (Memorandum of Understanding) which includes access to HP Institute Accredited Technical Associate curriculum and an HP Educational and Science Center at the university to boost business-ready IT skills in the region. The agreement supports the region's goal to decrease reliance on an energy-based economy and grow its technology-savvy workforce. 

"The IT sector is becoming more important in the Middle East as countries look beyond energy as the mainstay of their economies to a knowledge-based society. This shift requires different skill sets and is creating demand for knowledgeable IT professionals," said Eyad Shihabi, Managing Director, HP Middle East. "The HP Institute Accredited Technical Associate program will help drive this transition. By partnering with educational institutions, we create a continuous talent pool of IT graduates with the skills and experience businesses to help businesses succeed today and in the future."

By offering the HP Accredited Technical Associate (ATA) certification, academic institutions can elevate their degree program to potential employers by providing more rounded and better qualified graduates with much needed technology skills, expertise, and business insight.

"Equipping graduates with the right skills suitable for today's competitive marketplace is one of our main goals at AUS," said Dr Peter Heath, Chancellor of AUS. "By opening the HP Educational and Science Center, we are providing students with another means to be prepared for work, giving them the tools they need to be successful, while increasing their employability. We're pleased to partner with HP to add further resources to aid the region's businesses by providing skilled, work-ready graduates from the first HP Institute in the region."

The HP Educational and Science Centre at AUS will be equipped with the latest hardware and software from HP. During the creation, HP experts and university professors will jointly develop new educational IT courses for students and organize research based on topics currently vital in the sphere of IT.

Students will be able to enroll in courses at the Center which will provide industry-recognized certification and practical experience to pursue a career in IT. By offering the HP Accredited Technical Associate (ATA) courses, academic institutions can elevate degree programmes to potential employers by providing qualified, job-ready graduates with the technical skills, expertise, and business insight.

Each module of the HP programme teaches industry-standard technologies, through courseware, practice tests and hands-on labs. Including modules on cloud computing, the courses have been designed to provide skills that are particularly appropriate for small and mid-sized companies - a sector which HP has previously announced as a focus for its support and investment.

The certification will enable HP to offer links between graduates and HP's 8,000 strong global alliance partner and reseller network, encouraging them to recruit HP ATA certified professionals by demonstrating a preference to hire these graduates.