HBKU collaborates with IBM to bridge skills gap in emerging tech

Hamad Bin Khalifa University (HBKU) has announced that it will collaborate with IBM to equip its students with future-ready skills in new and emerging technologies, such as cloud, data science, analytics, blockchain, artificial intelligence and cybersecurity, through the IBM Skills Academy programme.
The IBM Skills Academy is a training and certification programme that is designed to bridge the skill gap between the university and the market industry.
The collaboration was announced at the Qatar IT Conference and Exhibition 2019 (Qitcom 2019) in the presence of HBKU’s Dr Mounir Hamdi, dean of the College of Science and Engineering (CSE), and Mejdi El Khater, country manager, IBM Qatar, as well as leaders from HBKU and IBM.
Through the collaboration, HBKU students will be given the opportunity to gain new key digital skills, improve their employability and act as accelerators for entrepreneurship to motivate economic growth. They will also benefit from hybrid approach to learning through career-driven online courses and classroom-blended training. HBKU expects to yield high returns through this collaboration, cementing its abilities to offer an inclusive and innovative learning methodology for its students.
Speaking on the collaboration, Dr Hamdi said: “Technology and education today complement each other in unprecedented ways, and this is observed as the world steadily migrates towards digitised learning programmes. CSE is at the forefront of these needs by offering an experiential education that is both applicable and forward-looking. Our collaboration with IBM is a reinforcement of this technologised paradigm and in-tune approach to learning.”
“Technology is transforming jobs and skills at a rapid rate across industries,” added El Khater. “Ensuring that we equip youth and future talent with the skills employers will demand is becoming more important than ever and this is where IBM Skills Academy comes into play. The IBM Skills Academy programme is designed specifically to bridge the skills gap between the University and the real business world.”
HBKU actively leverages synergies with renowned local and international partners to facilitate expertise and build capacity in Qatar and the region, hence ensuring an inclusive, high-quality research and education ecosystem.
It offers 36 degree programmes at the bachelor’s, master’s and doctoral levels, each tailored to apply to national, regional and global demands.