Qatar, under the wise leadership of His Highness the Emir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad al-Thani, is keeping up with the digital age and progressing fast, HE the Minister of Transport and Communications Jassim Seif Ahmed al-Sulaiti said on Thursday.
He was speaking in the presence of HE the Prime Minister and Interior Minister Sheikh Abdullah bin Nasser bin Khalifa al-Thani to mark the first annual ceremony on Qatar Digital Government Training Programme (QDGTP) and the graduation of the first batch of students from Mada's (Qatar Assistive Technology Centre) Access to Employment programme.
“The advancement of the country is a shared responsibility of all citizens,” HE al-Sulaiti said and stressed Qatar spares no efforts in raising awareness about the needs of persons with disabilities and to make use of their abilities and potentials.
The QDGTP, being implemented by the Ministry of Transport and Communications, aims to build highly qualified management and boost leadership capabilities of technology personnel.
It is also meant to enhance the technological and professional capabilities and skills of staff who will help government agencies implement digital transformation plans and the strategic goals of Qatar Digital Government 2020 Strategy.
Executed in partnership with HEC Paris in Qatar, the QDGTP is one of several IT programmes to boost the professional capacity of government ICT professionals with specialised and accredited training programmes. 
The Access to Employment is a new programme from Mada, in association with the Ministry of Administrative Development, Labour & Social Affairs. Mada works on enabling and enhancing the capacities of the disabled through information and communication technologies. It works to improve the digital inclusion for persons with disabilities (PwDs) across Qatar.
It has identified three key domains - education, employment and community to continue to fulfil its mission of removing the barriers that restrict PwDs from participating in society. These three domains are assisted through advisory services and policy recommendations. The Access to Employment programme works to qualify the disabled people to enter the job market to access real employment opportunities. 
Al-Sulaiti announced that the Prime Minister had given directives to appoint all 53 Access to Employment graduates at different state institutions from next week.
Nils Plambeck, dean and CEO of HEC Paris in Qatar, said the participants can now play a major role in the Qatar Digital Government Strategy 2020. 
"This collaboration with the MoTC underlines HEC Paris’ commitment, in partnership with Qatar Foundation, to help develop the region’s leaders of today and tomorrow across the governmental and private sectors,” he added. 
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