Steve Nichols/DUBAI
A multi-million-dollar agreement for a new hi-tech training institute in Abu Dhabi was signed at the show yesterday.
The deal, between France's Thomson CSF and the UAE's Centre of Excellence for Applied Research and Training (CERT), creates a new joint venture company, the CERT Thomson Institute (CTI).
The institute will offer industry-standard courses, ranging in length from 15 weeks to one year, in radio communications,project management, software development and related skills.
The first students, from the UAE military, will study information warfare technologies and start in February. CTI expects to enroll about 100 students over the next year.
Education
Dr Tayeb A Kamali, managing director of CERT, was quick to point out that the institute would not just train the UAE's armed forces.
"There is a strong will on the part of the UAE to see more technology training and education across the entire region.
"This will have an impact on the development of the whole economy over the next 30 to 40 years," he says.
Speaking at the signing ceremony, Jean-Robert Martin, chairman of Thomson-CSF Detexis, says: "We are excited to be able to team up with one of the country's premier higher education institutions. This is a unique joint venture."
Thomson-CSF is a global leader in electronics for defence and civil markets.
It has been active in the UAE for 30 years.
Source: Flight Daily News
