Dubai College of Tourism Partners with Global Online Training Provider Udacity

Dubai, UAE, 2 November 2020:Dubai College of Tourism (DCT) has announced a partnership with Udacity, the global online technical skills training provider that prepares the world's workforce for careers of the future. Through this partnership, DCT continues to upskill tourism professionals within Dubai'sDepartment of Tourism and Commerce Marketing (Dubai Tourism) with knowledge and training in the areas of Digital Marketing, User Experience Design and Artificial Intelligence. The aim is to develop a technology savvy workforce in keeping with the rapid transformation taking place in the digital economy and to place data at the forefront of decision making across the organisation.

DCT selected Udacity to partner with due to its focus on project-based learning to build skills in core and emerging technologies. Under the agreement signed between the two entities, training programmes will be implemented to equip Dubai Tourism professionals with the necessary skills to create technology-led campaigns that can drive visits from source markets and increase understanding of tourist media consumption.

Essa Bin Hadher, General Manager of Dubai College of Tourism, commented:"During these rapidly changing times, the path to success is to adapt to the new realities shaped by the digital economy, a critical driver of innovation and growth. Through this partnership with Udacity, the Dubai College of Tourism is keen to ensure that Dubai Tourism benefits from the investments it makes training its employees in new technologies. Udacity, with an abundance of expertise and experience in providing online training programmes will enable Dubai College of Tourism to move to the next level of its educational offerings, while at the same time adding value to the careers of Dubai Tourisms employees by preparing them for the digital jobs of the future."

Gabe Dalporto, CEO of Udacity, said:"Udacity is honoured to partner with the Dubai College of Tourism to build a future-ready workforce that's able to make the most of emerging technologies. We are committed to supporting Dubai's Tourism'sdigital transformation journey and empowering their team to solve problems, meet customer needs, and seize market opportunities."

Udacity's training model enables organisations to build a pool of practitioners in emerging technologies and business practices within six months. Udacity's Nanodegree programmesco-created with industry leadersfeature hands-on learning with projects tailored to real-world scenarios that complement instructor-led sessions.

Dubai College of Tourism was established by Dubai Tourism as a vocational college to provide practical full-time higher education in Dubai in the subject areas of Tourism, Retail Business, Events, Hospitality and Culinary Arts. The college also runs the training and development department of Dubai Tourism.

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About Dubai's Department of Tourism and Commerce Marketing (Dubai Tourism)

With the ultimate vision of positioning Dubai as the world's leading tourism destination and commercial hub, Dubai Tourisms mission is to increase the awareness of Dubai among global audiences and to attract tourists and inward investment into the emirate. Dubai Tourism is the principal authority for the planning, supervision, development and marketing of Dubai's tourism sector. It markets and promotes the Emirate's commerce sector, and is responsible for the licensing and classification of all tourism services, including hotels, tour operators and travel agents. Brands and departments within the Dubai Tourism portfolio include Dubai Business Events, Dubai Calendar, and Dubai Festivals and Retail Establishment.

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About Dubai College of Tourism (DCT)

DCT runs the first-of-its-kind multi-disciplinary educational platform in the region. The College provides foundation, certificate and diploma courses in tourism, hospitality, retail, events and culinary arts through the TVET accreditation framework. DCT aims to be recognised as the premier vocational institution in the region with its courses bridging the gap between in-house training and a full bachelors degree, ensuring a steady stream of highly trained tourism professionals for the city. The college is also responsible for delivering fundamental programmes specifically designed for those working within the tourism industry, such as'Dubai Way'(for tourist-facing staff in Dubai) and'Dubai Expert'(an interactive online training tool for international travel agents). For more information, please visit www.dct.ac.ae.

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About Udacity

Udacity is a global, online training platform powering digital transformation and accelerated time-to-market initiatives for Fortune 500 and Global 2000 enterprises. Udacity programmes provide industry-created practitioner skills through a series of Nanodegree programs consisting of online courses and real-world projects in artificial intelligence, machine learning, data science, autonomous systems, and cloud computing, among other disciplines. Udacity collaborates with expert instructors and over 200 global industry partners including ATT, Google, Facebook, Mercedes-Benz, and NVIDIA to power technical education. Headquartered in Mountain View, Calif., the private company has operations in the United Kingdom, Egypt, Germany, India, and the United Arab Emirates. For more information, please visit www.udacity.com.