Certiport News
Libyan Businessman Captures Certiport Inspiration Award for Developing Digital Literacy among Country's Resurgent Workforce
Khaled El Hamedi, chairman of Eng Holding, provides training and Certiport IC³ certification to 30,000 workers following more than two decades of embargo
TORONTO (Certiport PATHWAYS 2009) — August 1, 2009
Certiport today presented the Inspiration Award recognizing visionary leadership in promoting digital literacy to Khaled El Hamedi, chairman of Eng Holding in Libya. El Hamedi, who was honored during the Certiport PATHWAYS™ 2009 Gala awards ceremony, was selected among five other candidates hailing from China, Japan, Peru, Scotland and the United States.
"Mr. El Hamedi's work to proliferate digital literacy among Libya's citizens is truly inspiring," said Ray Kelly, president and CEO of Certiport. "He recognizes that geographic boundaries are less important than current and relevant job skills in the global economy."
In 2004, following the removal of the U.S. trade embargo, it became increasingly apparent that Libya needed to reinvest in the country's infrastructure and re-skill its citizenry for 21st Century jobs. El Hamedi elected to bring the Certiport Internet and Computing Core Certification (IC³®) digital literacy program into Libya as a crucial bridge for developing current and relevant skills. To date, he has helped train and certify more than 30,000 public and private workers in his country.
The Champions of Digital Literacy Inspiration Award recognizes the visionary leadership required to transform communities and nations through large-scale digital literacy initiatives. Earlier in the day, all six candidates for the Inspiration Award were inducted into the Champions of Digital Literacy Hall of Fame for their exemplary efforts to champion the adoption of digital literacy standards. In addition to El Hamedi, they include:
- Deryck Nutley, manager of the IT Providers Consortium in Scotland (ITPCS)
- Dr. Esther Johnson, national director of Job Corps in the United States
- Professor Haoqiang Tan, chairman of the Association of Computer Fundamentals China on Higher Education (AFCEC)
- Mariko Horigome, social welfare counselor for Tokyo Colony in Japan
- Peter Kurt Schreier Reck, national director of the National Service for Industrial Works Skills (SENATI) in Peru
Honorable mentions to this year's Hall of Fame include:
- Michelle Robinson Cook, IT and Web teacher at Florida's Niceville High School in the United States
- Roxanne Laborde-Couvillion, technology teacher at Louisiana's Avoyelles High School in the United States
- Erlito Damo, Aplaya elementary school principal and ICT consultant for the Philippines Department of Education
- Mino Takeuchi and Sonoko Uchida, trainers for Ricoh Human Creates Co., Ltd. in Japan
For more information about all of this year's Champions of Digital Literacy, visit www.certiport.com/champions.
About Certiport
Certiport, a Pearson VUE business, is the leading provider of certification exam development, delivery and program management services delivered through an expansive network of over 12,000 Certiport Authorized Testing Centers worldwide. Certiport manages a sophisticated portfolio of leading certification programs including: the official Microsoft Office Specialist certification program, the Microsoft Technology Associate certification program, the Microsoft Certified Educator program, the Adobe® Certified Associate certification program, the Adobe® Certified Expert program, the HP Accredited Technical Associate, the CompTIA Strata™ IT Fundamentals, the Autodesk Certified User certification program, the Intuit QuickBooks Certified User certification program, and the IC³ Digital Literacy certification. Certiport reliably delivers over three million tests each year throughout the secondary, post-secondary, workforce, and corporate technology markets in more than 148 countries and 27 languages worldwide. For more information, please visit www.certiport.com or follow Certiport on Twitter at www.twitter.com/certiport.
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Press Contact:
Brenda Armstrong
1.801.602.0305
barmstrong@certiport.com