elev8 inaugurates the Qatar Digital Center of Excellence in collaboration with Microsoft and the MCIT

elev8, the world leader in digital training initiatives, recently launched the Digital Center of Excellence in Doha, Qatar, together with the Ministry of Communications and Information Technology and Microsoft, to accelerate sustainable human development and digital transformation in line with the National Vision of Qatar 2030.
It is a modern training center, the first of its kind in Qatar and the region, located in Msheireb Downtown Doha, joining the global expansion of elev8, which currently operates in Nigeria and Costa Rica. The event was held a few days ago under the auspices of His Excellency Mr. Mohammed bin Ali bin Mohammed Al Mannai, Minister of Communications and Information Technologies, and a high representation of government officials and private sector executives.
The initiative seeks to create a highly qualified and competitive workforce for a fast-growing, diversified, technologically advanced economy. The center is expected to play a vital role in building the talent pool that will help accelerate the digital transformation of government institutions and private sector companies.
“Digital transformation is no longer an option; Qatar must improve its competitiveness at a regional and global level. Our wise leadership realized this many years ago. It has managed to achieve significant milestones in reducing the digital skills gap by launching many partnerships and initiatives, the most important of which is the Digital Center of Excellence, established with our partners Microsoft and elev8. These efforts are vital to ensure that more people in Qatar have the advanced digital skills necessary to enable an open and flexible economic environment, capable of competing in a changing world and building a knowledge economy based on research, development, innovation, and excellence in entrepreneurship,” said H.E. Mohammed bin Ali bin Mohammed al-Mannai, Minister of Communications and Information Technology, during his opening speech.
María Balbás, President of elev8, said that the partnership with Microsoft and the Ministry of Communications and Information Technology marks a crucial moment in Qatar’s digital transformation journey to create a highly-skilled workforce with essential digital skills for success in the fourth industrial revolution.
 “elev8 supports a culture of lifelong learning and fosters curiosity and a passion for learning. We adopt an innovative approach, applying the elev8 active learning methodology so that students acquire knowledge through practical experiences and real-life scenarios. The Digital Center of Excellence will equip the inhabitants of Qatar with the necessary skills in cutting-edge technologies for a new digital world, whether they are students, professionals, or business leaders,” she explained.
Mrs. Lana Khalaf, CEO of Microsoft Qatar, concluded that the official launch of the Digital Center of Excellence is an essential milestone in the technology company’s current partnership with the Ministry of Communications and Information Technology. “Our efforts represent our joint commitment to unlocking opportunities for the people of Qatar in the digital age by developing the technical skills of students as well as those already in the workforce,” she explained.
As part of this collaboration, more than 13,000 people in Qatar have received training and certification in various functions and audiences in just 18 months. Students, teachers, computer professionals, developers, and business leaders.
The Digital Center of Excellence aims to develop the technical skills of students and workers. Through role-based and globally recognized training pathways, the center offers individuals and organizations a professional advantage by providing a range of training and certifications that train, enhance, and retrain current professionals, developers, business leaders, and students in advanced technologies such as cloud computing, artificial intelligence (AI) and cybersecurity.
The opening of the Digital Center of Excellence comes ahead of the commissioning of a new Microsoft Cloud data center in the Qatar region, which will feature enterprise-grade cloud services, combined with data residency, security, and the broadest compliance for organizations and companies in Qatar.