The National Youth Commission (NYC) has announced its collaboration with Microsoft to upskill the country’s youth in emerging technologies. As part of NYC’s Youth Tech Bootcamp, students and working professionals will gain the opportunity to get hands on trainings and harness technologies such as Artificial Intelligence (AI) and Internet of Things (IoT).

“The Sultanate of Oman is at the forefront to make the most of the Fourth Industrial revolution and transform industries to drive sustained economic growth,” said Dr. Sami Bin Salim Al-Kharusi, President of NYC. “Our youth will be the core drivers of this journey. Hence, it is of utmost importance that we skill and upskill national talent for them to make the most of latest technology and become experts, so they can accelerate innovation, create jobs as well as be prepared for the jobs of future. Our partnership with Microsoft will be at the center of this effort to empower Omani youth and contribute to the ongoing digital transformation journey of the Sultanate – thus reshaping our today and tomorrow.”

Alya Al-Shanfari, member of the National Youth Advisory Committee and Head of the Youth Tech Bootcamp, said: “Young people will gain the opportunity to harness various modern technologies by availing these specialized courses from Microsoft; this will ensure the development of a technically skilled generation. The National Youth Committee is implementing this project as part of the “Youth Capacity Development” programme, one of our five sustainable programme packages.”

The Youth Tech Bootcamp will introduce AI and IoT learning paths along with fundamental trainings on the cloud. The course paths will provide foundational and deep technical knowledge on how these technologies can be implemented to empower them in transforming challenges into opportunities across all industries of the sultanate. NYC will make use of Microsoft’s Cloud Society platform to make the courses available, and conduct instructor led trainings via Microsoft Teams – a unified communications platform that brings people together to chat, meet, call and collaborate, all in one place.

With AI courses, participants will learn to build predictive models and analysis, natural language, image and video processing, as well as create intelligent conversational bots. And the IoT modules will enable youth to learn about the architectural components, implementing it on devices and the cloud, as well as identify and articulate IoT business opportunities across a broad spectrum of industries.

Sheikh Saif Hilal Al Hosni, Country Manager, Microsoft Oman and Bahrain

“The National Youth Commission is on a thoughtful journey to build a learning culture and enable youth with skills to unlock their capabilities – and contribute to the digital economy of the sultanate,” said Sheikh Saif Hilal Al Hosni, Country Manager, Microsoft Oman and Bahrain. “With our mission to empower every person and organization to achieve more, we look forward to supporting them in their efforts – and thus nurturing a generation of knowledgeable, qualified, and future-ready Omani youth with the language of the future.”