The E-Learning Competence Center (ELCC) is Egypt’s leading organization in e-Learning with a track record of developing and delivering a wide array of state-of-the art e-Learning courses and content, setting and disseminating the quality standards of e-Learning, providing best practice research and expert consultancy in e-Learning and engendering the first wave of facilitators and e-trainers into the market.

The ELCC was established in 2004 as an alliance between the Ministry of Communications and Information Technology (MCIT) and Cisco Systems with the mandate of diffusing innovation and developing and delivering state-of-the art e-learning programs.

ELCC has a leading role in e-Learning with a track record of developing and delivering a wide array of state-of-the art e-Learning courses, web communications and e-content; setting and disseminating the quality standards of e-Learning; providing best practice research and expert consultancy in e-Learning and engendering the first wave of facilitators and e-trainers into the market. The purpose of the ELCC is to act as a hub for the integration, development and dissemination of e-Learning content of relevance to the Egyptian market.

• Lead and develop Egypt’s E-Learning Industry and leverage its resources.
• Develop a replica model of e-learning that integrates global quality in a local context.
• Disseminate E-learning quality standards in Egypt and reinforce adherence to it by local players.
• Promote and cultivate an e-learning culture that promotes equal access to learning opportunities and efficient use of ICTs.
• Create a the first wave of e-learning leaders by developing their entrepreneurial skills.
• Build the country’s human resource capacities and help create job opportunities in E-Learning.

• Content Development and Localization.

ELCC develops a wide array of e-Learning content in different disciplines to provide organizations and individual learners with knowledge and skills needed to stay on cutting edge of technology and leadership. The center also works with and coordinates the efforts of sector-specific, in-country agencies, independent Subject Matter Experts, consultants and translators to localize the curricula of learning material in a variety of disciplines in a way that captures the essence of the concerned culture/context and fully engages learners.
 
• Lifelong learning.

The professional development and lifelong learning function of ELCC focuses on enhancing the technical, professional and entrepreneurial skills of the largest segments of citizens who have finished their formal education. Increased access, scalability and outreach are at the heart of the center’s lifelong learning function which is made possible through the tactical and efficient utilization of latest e-Learning tools and techniques.
 
• National Delivery Network

The ELCC has created a nationwide delivery network through implementing a scalable plan to leverage and optimize the use of IT clubs all over the nation to act as outlets for the delivery of web-based content, online assessment, student performance tracking, hands-on labs, instructor training, support and preparation for industry standard certifications. To date, the center has established around 700 local academies across the country where over 60,000 students, instructors and administrators have participated in the program.
 
• Research and Development (R&D)

The center’s R&D division is responsible for the development, review, evaluation and dissemination of quality e-Learning standards among stakeholders involved in capacity building, content development, quality assurance and infrastructure development in order to ensure sustainable and relevant e-Learning for all.
 
• Portals Development

The ELCC has a full portal development, web design and web content management capacity of portals and has built expertise in designing, developing and managing web portals using the latest ASP.net and Web 2.0 technology and in accordance with internationally identified and recognized portal development and web content management guidelines and standards.
 
• Entrepreneurship Education Program

ELCC is certified as an official Training Center for Cisco Entrepreneur Institute to help Egyptian entrepreneurs start and grow their own businesses based on practical and professional strategies using the Institute’s content and know‐how to deliver its programs to SMEs through Local Institutes that are established by the center allover the country. In this capacity, ELCC developed and localized Cisco’s Business Essentials Course (iExec), delivered training to 3,000 entrepreneurs and 260 SMEs, certified 40 instructors as facilitators of the program and Certified 6 NGOs as official training centers to the program.

Yasser Kazem, M.B.A
Director, E-Learning Competence Center (ELCC)

Yasser Kazem is currently the Director of the E-Learning Competence Center (ELCC) of the Ministry of Communication and Information Technology (MCIT) Egypt, the Strategic Coordinator of the Egyptian Education Initiative (EEI) and a member of the executive committee of the Ministry of communications and Information Technology (MCIT).

Kazem served as the Director of the Regional IT Institute (Egypt) during the period from 2001 to 2004 and the Executive Manager of the Regional IT Institute (Egypt) from 1992 to 2001 where he established and developed the institute's professional programs with international training providers and academic degrees with Netherlands's Maastricht School of Management (MSM), UK's Middlesex University and University of Louisville in the U.S. He also founded the e-learning program of the Regional IT Institute in cooperation with Middlesex University (UK). From 1987 until 1992, Kazem worked at the Cabinet of Egypt Information and Decision Support Centre where he co-established and managed its training department.

Kazem has more than twenty years of experience in fields of Training, Human Recourses Development, E-Learning, Information Technology (IT) in Education and Environmental Information Systems. He designed and managed several training and development programs in IT management for public and private sector organizations in Egypt and the world.

Kazem has established successful alliances and partnerships with international organizations, academic institutions, multinationals and government bodies to develop the human resource sector in Egypt through hosting and delivering world-renowned training and academic programs in the country. He worked as a consultant for several government and private organizations on issues related to Human Resource Development, organizational design and development, business transformation and change management, e-Learning delivery and solutions, training management and services and competency based training.

Kazem's work in IT transfer to developing countries, electronic commerce, human resources development, decision support applications and Environmental Information Systems has been published in many journals, magazines and conferences' proceedings.

In 1996, he was one of the co-founding members of the Internet Society of Egypt. Mr Kazem is an active member in the Egyptian council for foreign affairs, Egyptian Human Recourse Management Association and the American Society for training and development. He got his MBA (1995) and his bachelor degree (1987) from Sadat Academy for Management Since in Cairo, Egypt.

Eng. Yasser Kazem
Smart-Village, Building (B5). Cairo-Alexandria Desert Road. Giza, Egypt
Email : ykazem@mcit.gov.eg
T : (+202) 3534 5134
F : (+202) 3534 6024

• www.elcc.gov.eg
• www.een.gov.eg