New phase of ‘Better Connections’ program launched
Qatar is going the extra mile to ensure sustainability in its journey to transform into a fully integrated digital society.
In line with this ambition, the country introduced the sustainability and development phase of the Better Connections program, which aims to employ expatriates and enables them to use ICT devices to ensure their digital inclusion and improve their lifestyle.
His Excellency the Prime Minister and Minister of Interior Sheikh Abdullah bin Nasser bin Khalifa Al Thani inaugurated the program recently at the largest ICT event in Qatar, the Qatar Information Technology and Communication Conference and Exhibition (QITCOM 2019).
The event was organized by the Ministry of Transport and Communications (MoTC), under the slogan "safe and smart cities", and concluded on Friday.
معالي رئيس مجلس الوزراء ووزير الداخلية، يدشن مرحلة الاستدامة والتطوير من برنامج "التواصل الأفضل"، الذي يعنى بالعمالة الوافدة ويمكنها من استخدام أدوات تكنولوجيا المعلومات والاتصالات بما يضمن شمولهم الرقمي ويحسن نمط حياتهم. #قنا pic.twitter.com/8ZUcD2LXEe
— وكالة الأنباء القطرية (@QatarNewsAgency) November 2, 2019
During the inauguration of the next phase of the Better Connections program, it was announced that 1,676 technological halls had been completed in the workers' housing, which provides more than 16,000 computers.
The launch was witnessed by HE the Minister of Transport and Communications Jassim bin Saif Al Sulaiti and HE the Minister of Administrative Development, Labour and Administrative Affairs (MADLSA) Yousef bin Mohamed al-Othman Fakhro.
The new phase of the program comes for three years, during which technical support is provided to the halls that were created in the previous phases.
In its new phase, the program aims to create 1,000 new electronic content to be made available through the Hukoomi website for workers in the five most widely used languages among workers in Qatar.
Under the program, expatriate workers will also have the opportunity to buy smartphones at discounted prices, to expand access to information technology devices.
As many as 50,000 expatriate workers will be trained over three years to pass on knowledge to their peers to continue the education process.
افتتاح 1676 قاعة تكنولوجية بمساكن العمالة توفر 16 ألف جهاز حاسوب وإطلاق مرحلة الاستدامة والتطوير من برنامج #التواصل_الأفضل، على هامش فعاليات #كيتكوم2019
— المواصلات والاتصالات (@MOTC_QA) November 2, 2019
يهدف البرنامج لتمكين العمالة الوافدة من استخدام أدوات تكنولوجيا المعلومات والاتصالات بما يضمن شمولهم الرقمي ويحسن نمط حياتهم. pic.twitter.com/kNrLX8EVRi
The Better Connections plan was launched as a pilot project in 2013 and officially launched in 2015. It is a national initiative by the MoTC in collaboration with MADLSA.
The program aims to achieve the digital inclusion of expatriate workers in Qatar by giving them free access to the network (internet, computers, some online services, and training at their accommodation).
Each of the program facilities is equipped with 10 Microsoft-certified Vodafone Wi-Fi computers and furniture and other equipment to facilitate learning and communication.
More than 1.5 million workers have had the opportunity to learn about digital technology since the launch of the program.
The program provides training to the workers over the weekend, and surveys are conducted before and after six months of the program to measure the impact of the training on their lives.
Participants include expatriate workers themselves and supervisors representing the companies participating in the program with more than 1,000 volunteer trainers from the MoTC and Reach Out to Asia (Rota).
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