Computer Professional Organization and National University of Skills Partner to Develop ICT Undergraduate Curricula; Digital Economy Programs Advanced with Industry and University Input

At a session of the Curriculum Planning Council of the National University of Skills, the Computer Professional Organization and the National University of Skills began collaborating to develop curricula for digital economy disciplines, aiming to expand specialized training and build human capital. Key topics include labor market needs assessment, participation of professional associations, and development of cybersecurity training.

In the meeting of the National Mahart University Educational and Curriculum Planning Council, the Computer Trade Union Organization and National Mahart University started their cooperation with the aim of developing specialized education and training human resources, developing curricula for digital economy fields, and labor market needs assessment, participation of specialized associations, and the development of cyber security education were among the topics discussed in this meeting.

According to ICT News, on Tuesday, October 21st, the meeting of the Educational and Curriculum Planning Council of Mahrat National University was held with the participation of Computer Trade Union Organization and Mahrat National University.

University and industry cooperation in digital economy education

In this meeting, Ali Hakim Javadi, the head of the Computer Trade Union Organization, emphasized the importance of developing cooperation between universities and industry, and emphasized the importance of educational planning and utilizing the capacities of the private sector to train specialized human resources in the field of digital economy.

In the meeting of the Educational and Curriculum Planning Council of the National Skilled National University at the undergraduate level with the participation of the Computer Trade Union Organization, he considered the development of specialized training and the use of the capacity of professors active in the industry to be important axes in strengthening the interaction between the university and the industry.

The head of the computer trade union organization also expressed hope that these cooperations will continue in the future meetings and the field of interaction between the university and the computer trade union organization will be provided.

Synergy of stakeholders in digital economy education

In addition, Saebe Selouki, a member of the board of directors of the computer trade union organization of Tehran province, referring to the beginning of the compilation of the topics of the bachelor's degree in cyber security with a need-oriented approach and industry participation, said: the computer trade union organization, in cooperation with the Mahart National University, pursues the compilation of specialized courses in the field of digital economy in the associate and bachelor degrees, and in this way, the participation of the private sector, the public sector, governing institutions and specialized associations is necessary.

At the meeting of the Educational and Curriculum Planning Council of the National University of Skills at the undergraduate level with the participation of the Computer Trade Union Organization, by stating that the process of Nasr Organization's participation in the compilation of the curriculum of associate and bachelor's courses has reached the stage of designing the headlines after more than two years of follow-up and specialized meetings, he clarified: this process proceeds with the approach of the Fava industry and based on the needs of the labor market, and its goal is to strengthen the relationship between the university and the industry in the training of expert human capital.

Referring to the experience of cooperation in developing the blockchain field, he added: In this direction, the association of associations and specialized institutions has played an important role. In particular, the blockchain association has contributed effectively in the development of the curriculum of this field, and an important part of this process has been carried out with the cooperation of the members of this association. In today's meeting, the development of the bachelor's degree in cyber security was approved for the first time, and this is the first time that cyber security is included in university degrees.

The member of the board of directors of the computer trade union organization of Tehran province also informed about the planning to start the process of developing the field of artificial intelligence with the cooperation of the university and said: the same model of cooperation and participation of stakeholders is supposed to be followed in developing the curricula of this field.

Emphasizing the necessity of utilizing the capacity of all the stakeholders of the digital economy, Selouki stated: the development of specialized disciplines and skills in this field requires synergy between the private sector, the public sector, governing institutions and related associations so that the diverse needs of the labor market are taken into account in the curriculum design process.

The head of the Education and Human Capital Commission of Nasr Organization also pointed to the cooperation of the Computer Trade Union Organization and the National University of Skills, and emphasized the continued participation of specialized institutions in developing university courses that suit the needs of the industry.

In another part of this meeting, Mohammad Reza Kalbasi, the head of Mahart National University, emphasized the necessity of developing cooperation between the university and the industry, and said: Considering the size of the country's needs and the limitations of the available capacities to respond to these needs, it is necessary to provide the training of human resources specialized in the field of digital economy with appropriate educational planning and utilizing the capacities of the industry.

He also pointed to the country's need to develop specialized education and emphasized the importance of educational planning and the use of appropriate methods to respond to the existing needs and said: Part of the educational needs of universities requires closer cooperation with the industry and the capacity of professors who work in the industry can be used to strengthen this interaction.

The supervisor of the National University of Skills expressed his hope that the process of developing new courses will proceed successfully and in the future meetings, the field of cooperation and interaction between the National University of Skills and the Computer Trade Union Organization will be provided.

Compilation of courses according to the needs of the labor market

Fazeh Hashemi, Director General of Technical and Vocational Education Planning Office of Mahrat National University, also emphasized the necessity of demand-oriented university curricula and said: New courses must be developed based on the needs assessment of specialized institutions and guilds related to each profession in order to prevent the training of graduates who do not have the possibility of employment according to their specialization.

Referring to the necessity of adapting university education to the needs of the industry, Hashemi stated: National Skills University curricula are compiled based on the demand of the labor market, and their needs assessment begins with related specialized and professional institutions. In this process, the real needs of the industry and the available job opportunities are examined so that the formulation of courses does not lead to an increase in the unemployment of graduates.

Pointing to the importance of training and maintaining specialized human resources in the country, he added: In the country's science and technology development documents, the role of specialized and efficient human resources and the necessity of completing the chain of human capacity and synergy between institutions and organizations have been emphasized. In the same direction, Mahart National University pursues the development of internal capacities to train specialized human resources and maintain these capacities in the country.

The director general of the Technical and Vocational Education Planning Office of National Mahart University stated that more than 80% of the graduates of this university stay in the country and said: This issue provides the possibility of benefiting from the government's investment in manpower training for the development and future of the country.

Hashemi also pointed to the need to speed up the development of educational programs in the field of cyber security, and stated: During expert reviews, it has been determined that some subjects cannot be turned into a university curriculum due to existing reasons; However, the development of education in the field of cyber security is one of the needs of the country and should be pursued more quickly.

Referring to the process of developing the curriculum for specialized digital economy courses, he said: In this process, comparative studies, examination of the required competencies and job roles, as well as the needs of the labor market have been examined using information and capacities related to the industry. The results of these studies have also been provided to experts and related members to be the basis for curriculum development.

In the end, Hashemi emphasized the necessity of continuing the cooperation between the National University of Skills and the organization of the computer trade union system in order to design courses that match the real needs of the labor market.

Lack of expert personnel in cyber security

Mojtabi Mostafavi, an expert in the field of cyber security, further described cyber security as an interdisciplinary field that includes knowledge of basic mathematics, information technology and related specialties and said: cyber security is not limited to cyber attacks or cyber warfare, but is one of the prerequisites for the development of the digital economy, smart industry and the widespread use of artificial intelligence. If cyber security is not provided, the country's data and decision-making processes are also threatened.

Referring to the cyber attacks on the country's infrastructure in recent years, he added: disruptions in the railway and fuel systems and attacks on steel industries show that the consequences of cyber attacks are not limited to the digital space and can have physical and economic effects as well. According to him, cyber attacks on financial sectors and public services have also increased the importance of securing infrastructure and protecting services used by people.

Referring to the lack of specialized human resources in the world, this cyber security expert stated: According to a report published in 2024, about 5.5 million people were employed in the field of cyber security, while there were about 4.8 million vacant job positions in this field. He considered one of the reasons for this gap to be the high speed of technology development and cyber threats compared to the ability of universities and skill training centers to train specialized personnel.

Stating that the need for cyber security experts is not limited to one area, Mustafavi said: Industrial security, security of financial and government systems, security analysis, response to cyber incidents, digital criminology, tracking attackers, security of software and mobile applications, and security of communication infrastructure are among the areas that need experts.

He also pointed to international experiences in the design and evaluation of cyber security university programs, and emphasized the necessity of using scientific frameworks and specialized standards in developing new courses and said: At the international level, frameworks have been developed to determine knowledge areas, skills, course topics and job roles related to cyber security, which can be used to design university programs that suit the needs of the country.

Mostafavi further considered the cooperation of universities with industries as one of the ways to connect education with the labor market and added: It is possible to use internship capacity in various industries, including the steel industry and banks, and some of these institutions are ready to attract interns and even support students through scholarships.

At the end of this meeting, based on the previous memorandum of understanding between Nasr Organization and Mahrat National University and after two years of follow-up, the approval of the compilation of the subject areas of the Bachelor of Cyber Security course was signed by the head of Samat Organization and the head of Mahrat National University.