MiSk Udacity Program Set to Boost Saudi Youth Digital Skills

MiSK Academy launches second phase of digital programs with over 2000 trainees | Asharq Al-Awsat
MiSK Academy launches second phase of digital programs with over 2000 trainees | Asharq Al-Awsat
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MiSk Udacity Program Set to Boost Saudi Youth Digital Skills

MiSK Academy launches second phase of digital programs with over 2000 trainees | Asharq Al-Awsat
MiSK Academy launches second phase of digital programs with over 2000 trainees | Asharq Al-Awsat

Saudi Arabia’s MiSK Academy, in partnership with the Udacity online education platform, launched its second program meant to boost the technical skills of 2,000 participants. After experiencing sweeping success in the first phase, offering 2,650 scholarships in five tracks, the two partners are now extending the initiative for a second phase.

Visiting multiple Saudi cities-- including Riyadh, Jeddah, Khobar, and 30 others-- the program offers top of the line learning in technology that is aimed to help learners gain practical skills. Initially, MiSk Academy and Udacity partnered to produce the program with an aim to build the knowledge and skills needed for work in the digital age and to boost the employability of young Saudis who want to contribute to the Kingdom’s advancement in digital skills.

In its second phase, the program will offer more than 15 different nano degrees from foundational to job-ready and advanced levels for Saudis from all around the Kingdom. Phase 2 will be divided into three cohorts offering 6,000 scholarship seats in total with an aim to introduce advanced technology skills into the Saudi market.

According to MiSK, the program embodies its determination to develop the competencies of Saudi youth, providing them with labor market skills and empowering self-learning experiences, so as to ensure their active participation in creating a prosperous future for Saudi Arabia.

It is worth noting that, in its first phase, the program helped graduate over 2,000 young men and women in the fields of data analysis, web design, digital marketing, and industrial intelligence.

Such programs reflect the efficiency of partnerships, established on a global level, in utilizing the exchange of expertise, pushing the boundaries of education further, and promoting adherence to international standards.



Saudi Arabia Welcomes Macron’s Decision to Recognize Palestine as a State 

France's President Emmanuel Macron looks on as he waits for Lebanon's Prime Minister ahead of their working lunch at the presidential Elysee Palace in Paris, on July 24, 2025. (AFP)
France's President Emmanuel Macron looks on as he waits for Lebanon's Prime Minister ahead of their working lunch at the presidential Elysee Palace in Paris, on July 24, 2025. (AFP)
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Saudi Arabia Welcomes Macron’s Decision to Recognize Palestine as a State 

France's President Emmanuel Macron looks on as he waits for Lebanon's Prime Minister ahead of their working lunch at the presidential Elysee Palace in Paris, on July 24, 2025. (AFP)
France's President Emmanuel Macron looks on as he waits for Lebanon's Prime Minister ahead of their working lunch at the presidential Elysee Palace in Paris, on July 24, 2025. (AFP)

Saudi Arabia welcomed on Thursday French President Emmanuel Macron’s decision to recognize Palestine as a state.

The Saudi Foreign Ministry said the Kingdom hails “this historic decision, which underscores the international community’s consensus on the Palestinian people’s right to self-determination and to establish their independent state on the 1967 borders, with East Jerusalem as its capital.”

The Kingdom stressed “the importance of continued efforts by states to implement international resolutions and uphold international law.”

It reiterated its call for all countries that have not yet recognized the State of Palestine “to take similar positive steps and adopt serious positions that support peace and the legitimate rights of the Palestinian people.”

Macron said in a post on X that he will formalize the decision at the UN General Assembly in September. “The urgent thing today is that the war in Gaza stops and the civilian population is saved,” he wrote.

The mostly symbolic move puts added diplomatic pressure on Israel as the war and humanitarian crisis in the Gaza Strip rage. France is now the biggest Western power to recognize Palestine, and the move could pave the way for other countries to do the same. More than 140 countries recognize a Palestinian state, including more than a dozen in Europe.