2nd China-UAE Conference on Islamic Banking & Finance

Conference on Islamic Banking & Finance explores international cooperation in support of ‘One Belt, One Road’ initiative

USD 2.3 trillion Islamic economy is a pivotal player

Dubai’s experience in Islamic Economy will drive the revitalization of the Silk Road connecting Asia & Europe

UAE, September 12th, 2017 – The Dubai Center for Islamic Banking and Finance in Hamdan Bin Mohammed Smart University (HBMSU) and the Dubai Islamic Economy Development Centre has successfully concluded the 2nd China-UAE Conference on Islamic Banking and Finance. The two-day event held in Shenzhen, China formed part of efforts to drive economic growth and comprehensive development through the Islamic economy, in line with the objectives of the ‘One Belt, One Road’ initiative. It was organized in cooperation with China Islamic Finance Club, ZhiShang Intercultural Communication, and Knowledge Partner Thomson Reuters. Continue reading “2nd China-UAE Conference on Islamic Banking & Finance”

Global Online Learning Industry

Global Online Learning Industry to Reach USD 325 Billion by 2025, says Study

Middle East market poised for strong growth with rising popularity of smart learning

Orient Planet Academy unveils new course dates for 2017

UAE, September 12th, 2017 – A number of experts agree that the flourishing global e-learning industry is fast climbing, thanks to continuous advanced technological innovations, high modern skill demand in the market, and the need to update individual competencies for career advancement, among other factors. Market research firm Research and Markets predicts that the international online learning market will experience a compound annual growth rate of approximately 7.2 per cent and hit the USD 325- billion mark by 2025. The Middle East’s e-learning sector is picking up, with the regional industry fast gaining traction in light of the rising popularity of smart learning in this part of the world. Continue reading “Global Online Learning Industry”

Koenig Announces Successful Completion of 1st Batch of Trainees for its EC Council ‘Certified Network Defender’ Course

New program aimed at helping Koenig’s efforts to address cyber security skills gap in the region

UAE, October 4th, 2016 – Koenig Solutions, a leading IT training provider and the world’s number one offshore training company, revealed the successful completion of the first batch of trainees for its new course offering, the EC Council ‘Certified Network Defender’ course. 13 participants completed the new course offering, which took place at the Koenig Training Solutions Centre in Dubai. The program has been designed to help address the growing cyber security skills gap in the region—as industry experts have noted the emergence of new cyber threats and criminals becoming more tech-savvy in their operations. Koenig is the first learning partner in the region to offer this course, potentially targeting the millions of IT and Network Administrators that remained untrained on network defense techniques. Continue reading “Koenig Announces Successful Completion of 1st Batch of Trainees for its EC Council ‘Certified Network Defender’ Course”

Koenig Announces Successful Completion of First Batch of Trainees for its EC Council ‘Certified Network Defender’ Course

New program aimed at helping Koenig’s efforts to address cyber security skills gap in the region
Dubai, UAE – October 4th, 2016 – Koenig Solutions, a leading IT training provider and the world’s number one offshore training company, revealed the successful completion of the first batch of trainees for its new course offering, the EC Council ‘Certified Network Defender’ course. 13 participants completed the new course offering, which took place at the Koenig Training Solutions Centre in Dubai. The program has been designed to help address the growing cyber security skills gap in the region—as industry experts have noted the emergence of new cyber threats and criminals becoming more tech-savvy in their operations. Koenig is the first learning partner in the region to offer this course, potentially targeting the millions of IT and Network Administrators that remained untrained on network defense techniques.
According to a report from Micro Market Monitor, the Middle East and African (MEA) region’s cyber security market is poised to grow to USD 13.43 billion by 2019. Network defense proves to be a timely and strategic course to offer as it represents a broader market globally, as compared to ethical hacking and penetration testing. In fact, the industry will face over 1.5 million unfilled IT security jobs globally in 2020–with 92 per cent of hiring businesses clamouring for highly skilled and fully certified candidates to fill in the openings. To help address this issue, Koenig believes focusing on people and essentially training up the next generation of workers in cybersecurity skills is the first step towards addressing this gap.
“We are pleased to announce the successful completion of the first batch that enrolled for our new EC Council ‘Certified Network Defender’ course. This new offering proves to be both timely and strategic as the number of people and the amount of information available online continues to grow along with the need for more cyber security professionals,” said Aditya Girish, Territory Manager Middle East, Koenig Solutions. “The need to secure network and information systems in the Middle East in general and the UAE in particular, is an essential factor that needs to be addressed in order to keep the online economy running and to ensure economic prosperity. To reduce the skills gap and train a new generation of security specialists, organisations, higher education establishments, and training centres should share responsibility and ideally act together to combat the growing threats in today’s connected world.”
Koenig’s ‘Certified Network Defender’ course is facilitated by EC-Council Certified Instructors with over than 10 years’ experience in the technical and training field. Network professionals with certifications from the likes of CCNA, Network+, Security+, are ideal candidates that need to take this course to upgrade their skills. The course forms the basis on which skilled professionals can pursue Certified Ethical hacking (CEH) and EC-council Certified Security Analyst (ECSA) courses thereafter. The program is designed to give students the opportunity to practice architectural thinking in the design of enterprise IT systems while also be trained on the use of practical tools and techniques, which they can take back and implement in their companies and organizations.
“A recent industry report has forecasted that IT global spending on cybersecurity will grow to USD 170 billion by 2020—which can be attributed to the emergence and continued growth of the Internet of Things (IoT) security market, which is expected to grow from USD 6.89 billion in 2015 to nearly USD 29 billion by 2020. With this in mind, the cyber security market is poised to yield huge economic opportunities. We remain committed to strengthening the UAE’s cyber security industry, and help businesses in the country to seize these opportunities and reinforce the trust of citizens and businesses in the digital world,” concluded Girish.

About Koenig
Koenig is a leading provider of state-of-the-art technical training and certifications across all popular IT technologies available globally. The world class training at Koenig is offered through several innovative learning methods and delivery models to cater the unique requirements of a global customer base. With a workforce of over 300 certified trainers, Koenig offers key certifications via their 30+ authorizations, which includes the likes of Microsoft, Cisco, Oracle, VMware, Red Hat, Novell, EC Council, Adobe, among others. Some of Koenig’s prestigious list of clients in the Middle East and Africa region includes Abu Dhabi Investment Authority, Nakheel, PWC, Abu Dhabi Islamic Bank, RAK Bank, United Arab Bank Government of UAE – Department of Information, Communication, and Technology, ADNOC, DEWA, Du Telecom, the Prime Minister’s Office – UAE, Saudi Aramco, Saudi Chevron, Etisalat Nigeria, Angola LNG and TRA Tanzania. For more information please visit www.koenig-solutions.com.

Industry Survey shows Increased Demand for e-Learning to Help Address Skills Gap in the Middle East

Orient Planet Academy Announces Online Course Dates for Q4 2016
UAE, September 18th, 2016 – Demand for e-learning in the Middle East continues to expand to address the challenges of skills gap in the region. According to the Middle East Skills Gap Survey released this year, the market in the region is in dire need for qualified personnel. This is especially the case with vacancies in senior-level positions, as 70 per cent of respondents confirmed the difficulty of finding candidates with the necessary skills and knowledge to fill the positions. E-learning is a vital tool that can be used to address this issue being accessible to people from all walks of life and presented at a lower cost.

 E-learning has also been proven to be effective, with studies showing that online courses increase retention rates up to 60 per cent in comparison to face-to-face training, which only registers an 8 to 10 per cent retention rate.

In recognition of its benefits and to address the needs of the market, Orient Planet Academy, the first online PR and Communications Academy in the Middle East, has announced its enrollment dates for the last quarter of 2016. The schedule was developed to meet the Arab World’s growing demand for e-learning segment and the popularity of the Academy’s courses. Interested learners can enroll for the October 13, November 17 and December 8, 2016 batch, depending on their convenience.
Nidal Abou Zaki, Managing Director, Orient Planet Group, said: “Orient Planet Academy has been a frontrunner in the Arab World’s move to integrate e-learning in its development. We have especially designed these courses to help individuals expand their skill set and explore new professional opportunities. We have had strong positive feedback from people across the region. We remain committed towards equipping people across the Middle East with the necessary knowledge, skills and expertise according to international standards to help raise the benchmark for global excellence.”
The Academy aims to address gaps in the market by working with the Irish Academy to offer internationally recognized certificate courses in Public Relations (PR), Marketing, Journalism, Event Management and English Grammar. It also offers localized Arabic courses in Online Marketing and PR as well as a Diploma in Event Management. Each course takes 10 to 12 weeks and students are required to complete one module every week and pass all requirements before a certificate is awarded.
Orient Planet Academy is a direct collaboration between Orient Planet, one of the Middle East’s most rapidly growing PR marketing and communications consultancies, and the Irish Academy of Public Relations, an Ireland-based international online education provider of courses in communications disciplines. Orient Planet Academy’s courses have been exclusively developed by the Irish Academy to suit the needs of individuals within the Arab World.

For more information about the Academy’s courses, visit www.opacademy.com.

New Accounting and Finance Qualification Courses Made Available for the First Time in UAE

Landmark Partnership Makes PAC Professionals & Accountancy Centre First Training Provider of AAT Qualifications in Dubai
Dubai, UAE, August 10th, 2016 – AAT (the Association of Accounting Technicians), a globally recognized player in the accounting and finance sector, has joined forces with PAC Professionals & Accountancy Center Dubai to deliver AAT’s highly respected and internationally recognized accounting and finance courses in the UAE for the first time.

With over 130,000 members in more than 90 countries, courses offered by AAT are not only internationally recognized but are based on practical, real-world accounting knowledge that any student can put to use from day one. AAT is a leader in the finance and accountancy industry, providing practical workplace qualifications for finance staff across the world. It awards around 90 per cent of all vocational qualifications in accounting, and is sponsored by professional accounting bodies such as the Chartered Institute of Public Finance and Accountancy, thInstitute of Chartered Accountants in England and Wales, the Chartered Institute of Management Accountants, and the Institute of Chartered Accountants of Scotland.
Under the terms of the agreement, individuals in the region seeking to take up these prestigious AAT courses in accounting or bookkeeping may now enroll at PAC Dubai.
PAC Dubai is the latest strategic addition to over 500 training providers of AAT accounting and finance courses across the world. These sought-after professional courses are mainly designed to effectively reinforce the capabilities of any organization’s finance team, and have been developed for anyone eager to boost their business skills and start out on a career in finance.
Rob Alder, Head of Business Development at AAT, said: “We are very excited to be working closely to provide PAC Professionals & Accountancy Centre with all the support and guidance it needs to efficiently deliver AAT qualifications in the region. We are eager to work together for the benefit of our students and to invest in their futures. We will help them move up the ladder or even launch a whole new career in accountancy by equipping them with the right expertise, in-demand qualifications, and confidence needed to succeed in today’s highly competitive industry. Given PAC Dubai’s impeccable track record, we are confident that we will be able to achieve our set objectives and targets.”
Mian Ahmad Farhan, President at PAC Dubai says: “AAT provides a wide range of practical qualifications for beginners in accounting to help them build a bright career. The beauty of AAT qualifications is that they cover practical accounting topics and are also equivalent to formal academic studies which are recognized in the UAE as well as around the world. AAT qualifications can play a vital role in helping UAE Nationals hold positions in the Public and Private sector.”

For more information about how AAT courses at PAC Dubai can help anyone wanting to begin a career in finance, visit www.pacdubai.com