GEMS Education today announced its collaboration with IBM to roll out IBM Digital – Nation to over 50 schools in the UAE and the wider region. The launch follows a successful pilot programme that saw the IBM Digital – Nation platform piloted in select GEMS schools earlier this year. With more than 2,000 students having already benefited from the pilot, the move to extend access will enable thousands more students to tap IBM’s expertise and take advantage of a host of online courses.
Michael Gernon, Chief Education Innovation Officer, GEMS Education, said: “We are proud to be the first private education provider in the UAE to provide the highly impactful IBM Digital – Nation platform to students – especially during this unprecedented time of remote learning Our collaboration with IBM is all about preparing our students and providing them with novel tools to be successful.
Hossam Seif El-Din, Vice President, Enterprise and Commercial, IBM Middle East and Africa, said: “As we navigate these uncertain times, we are, now more than ever, seeing the importance of emerging technologies and digital skills to support and enhance the economy. IBM Digital – Nation has proven to be an effective platform to help provide youth with highly sought-after digital skills; and today, GEMS Education and IBM are coming together again to expand access to the digital learning platform to educators and students in the region.”
An internal assessment conducted by GEMS Education showed that the platform has had a significant positive impact on students at schools that piloted the programme. Pupils of GEMS Modern Academy, GEMS New Millennium School – AL Khail, GEMS Wellington Academy – Silicon Oasis, GEMS FirstPoint School – The Villa and GEMS Dubai American Academy all expressed satisfaction with the IBM Digital – Nation courses, saying they were engaging, informative, relevant and grade-level appropriate.
The IBM Digital – Nation platform provides students access to over 75 different courses comprising over 250 hours of learning, with a focus on highly sought-after advanced IT skills in next-generation technologies such as artificial intelligence (AI), blockchain, cloud, coding, Internet of Things (IoT), quantum computing, data science and analytics, and cybersecurity.
The courses will remain accessible until 31 August 2020 and are offered at three levels – Explorer, Innovator and New Collar – and run both as part of the school curriculum and as individual courses. Students who successfully complete each course gain IBM digital credentials that will help enhance their university applications and CVs. Each student and teacher also has their own account with full access to all the necessary tools to create and innovate new solutions.
