The Digital School, one of the Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum Global Initiatives, has announced the launch of a new strategic partnership with Transguard Group, a leader in business solutions, and the Centre of Excellence for Applied Research and Training (CERT), under the Skills Academies initiative. The partnership aims to build an integrated model connecting digital education with future labour market requirements.
The partnership seeks to align learning outcomes with promising economic opportunities by integrating digital education with applied curricula and employment pathways. This is designed to enhance the readiness of young people in communities with limited opportunities to enter the labour market, enabling them to acquire specialised and employable professional skills through flexible and scalable digital education programmes that contribute to expanding their economic prospects and achieving a sustainable developmental impact.
Dr Walid Al Ali, Secretary-General of the Digital School, affirmed that the Skills Academies embody the Digital School's vision of transforming education and training into a driver of economic development and professional empowerment, by equipping young people with the most in-demand practical and future-oriented skills in the labour market.
He said the partnership, which benefits from the support of the 'Ataya' initiative of the Emirates Red Crescent Authority, represents an integrated model that brings together learning, training, and employment within a single ecosystem, ensuring that trainees transition from acquiring skills to actual job opportunities. He noted that the initiative will provide 1,000 job opportunities within Transguard Group, contributing to enhancing youth readiness and opening sustainable economic and professional horizons for them.
Rabih Ataya, Chief Executive Officer of Transguard Group, said the partnership represents his group's firm commitment to workforce development, noting that Transguard has consistently worked to create opportunities that support sustainable employment and develop skills over the long term.
He added: "We will work closely with the Digital School and CERT to build talent that is ready for the labour market, through practical training and structured integration into the workplace — something that benefits not only employers, but individuals, families, and communities alike."
Mohammed Ghiath, Chief Executive Officer of CERT, explained that the partnership is an extension of the accelerating success being achieved by the Skills Academies initiative, and embodies CERT's pioneering role in redefining applied education models at scale. "By leveraging our advanced expertise and enhancing cross-sector integration, we are building a comprehensive ecosystem that directly links training to employment, enabling learners to acquire highly job-ready practical skills that accelerate their integration into the labour market and keep pace with the demands of the future," he said.
In its first phase, the partnership focuses on the launch of the Facilities Management Academy — the first academy to be established under this agreement — as a practical model for linking digital education to direct employment opportunities in vital sectors experiencing growing demand.
Under the terms of the partnership, the Digital School leads the strategic direction of the initiative and ensures its outcomes are aligned with labour market needs, while CERT designs and implements the training programmes and manages the trainees' journey. Transguard Group serves as the employment partner, providing hands-on field training and clear, sustainable employment pathways for graduates.