JEDDAH, 17 June — On a recent visit to the Bride of the Red Sea, I went on a tour of the New Horizons Computer Learning Center for Women, located on Tahlia Street. To be honest, I had been asked to visit the center months before and I hadn’t made it a priority. I have seen a dozen computer training facilities in the Kingdom and they are all depressingly similar. These institutes generally feature small white walled rooms, packed with rows of tables topped with PCs.
“Grey,” is the word that best describes them. So there I was having an enjoyable lunch with a business associate when the mobile played its happy tune. The next thing I knew I had been shanghaied and was on my way to New Horizons.
I’ll make a long story short and state upfront that I was impressed. The design and decoration of the center are fabulous. Every detail has been considered. Yes, there are the utilitarian rooms with the tables and PCs. But there are also so many nice extras that make it a pleasure for students to spend long hours learning.
The center has its own coffee shop and Internet cafe where students can relax during breaks between classes. There is also a fitness facility for students where they can workout under the supervision of qualified trainers. I was surprised to find such a feature in a computer training institute but Laila Dakkak, New Horizons Branch Manager, explained its importance.
“Learning on a PC is an activity that requires concentration,” she said. “We have found that after a few hours the students simply cannot take in anymore. They feel cramped, tired and out of sorts. However, if they go and do a few kilometers on a stationary bicycle or take an aerobics class, they are reenergized and can come back to their studies with enthusiasm.”
The interior decoration of the entire center is elegant and soothing. Molded ceilings, flower arrangements, pastel wall finishes and splashing fountains are just a few of the touches that make the center a welcome refuge for any woman. And many are coming. According to Dakkak, currently the center is training more than 1,100 students and that number is expected to rise significantly during the summer months when high school and college students enroll in short courses.
“Our only aim here at New Horizons is the mental and physical development of women,” said Dakkak. “We recognize this as being crucial in today’s technology driven global village. We offer vocational training designed to help women meet the challenges of an era where capitalist economies are seeking workers with job-oriented qualifications. Especially now when many opportunities are opening up for women in the Kingdom in professional fields, our goal is to assist the women of this society in achieving their full potential.”
Some students take short courses at the training center but more than 300 are currently studying for the Microsoft Support Specialist diploma. One hurdle that must be overcome before women can enroll in diploma courses is that they must have a minimum level of English proficiency.
“While we love the lyrical tones of our native Arabic, it is a fact that English has emerged as an international language and we must speak it if we hope to compete,” commented Dakkak. “At New Horizons, we offer special English courses called, ‘Direct English,’ which are designed to help students gain confidence and achieve rapid fluency in the language. Effective language development can be easily accomplished by teaching or improving communications skills within a carefully structured academic environment. While we use computers extensively in our courses, we also have classes in speech and dialog conducted by native speakers. Being able to communicate in both spoken and written English is vital in the workplace.
Lately we have found that students who are planning to study at universities abroad have been taking our English courses to supplement the standard Saudi high school curriculum.”
It’s not just young women who are attending the New Horizons’ courses. Dakkak has noticed that a large number of mothers and older working women are interested in learning new skills. She believes that this is due in part to the influence of the Internet. The first computer skills that most women want to master are those that are in some way related to the Internet. As the Internet becomes pervasive throughout all aspects of life, Saudi women feel that they must be able to navigate and use it to their advantage. Saudi mothers in particular are keen to learn computer skills so they can help their children with their homework and keep better tabs on them when they are online. Many older women are taking courses so that they can cope with the demands of the workplace. Next to Internet basics, office applications are the most popular courses.
The Saudi government is contracting New Horizons to upgrade the skills of some female civil servants and Dakkak believes that in the future with the coming of e-commerce and e-government, such employer sponsored training for women will become more common.
The New Horizons program in Saudi Arabia is on par with all New Horizons programs internationally. In fact for the year 2000, the New Horizons franchise in the Kingdom won the Circle of Excellence Award which is given by New Horizons corporate headquarters to its preferred franchise out of over 260 franchises worldwide. Dr. Hatem Aldryaan, Regional Manager, New Horizons, stated that all courses in the Kingdom are updated as soon as upgrades are available.
“We make some course material available in Arabic,” said Aldryaan. “In this case, New Horizons corporate in the United States develops course work in English and then it is sent to us for translation into Arabic. Since New Horizons KSA is the master franchise for the Middle East, the entire region depends on us for the Arabic materials.”
In addition to Microsoft and Oracle diploma courses, New Horizons offers the examinations to achieve internationally recognized certifications. In the Year 2000, 75 percent of the women who took the Sylvan Prometric Tests at New Horizons achieved a passing score. Aldryaan emphasized that training at the center will help master 60-70 percent of the skills and concepts needed to pass the examinations. However, that still leaves a significant amount of study and practice that must be put in by the student on her own.
While many women prefer coming to the training centers because of the social aspects of the experience, mothers, full-time university students and others who might not be able to commute regularly to the institutes are still taking computer training — but they are doing it from home. Web-based training is very popular for women. Aldryaan stated that the online courses are not of any lesser quality than what is being provided at the centers. The material is explained in depth and it is a very interactive experience — not at all like just trying to learn from a book.
“In the Kingdom, New Horizons continues to train more women than men and we do not expect that trend will change any time soon,” said Aldryaan. “We are a leader in computer training for women nationally. We have set up branches not only at our major city centers but also in community settings such as welfare societies and military bases. Saudi women have a willingness to learn. While men are motivated mostly to improve their skills so they can get better jobs, women are different. They start out taking one course to understand the basics and then they try another and another. They want to be challenged mentally. Women want to continue to grow. They have a great yearning to know new things and they have embraced the Internet with a vengeance. The growth and success of New Horizons in the Kingdom is in many ways a testament to the desire of Saudi women to achieve.”
