Baku, March 3, AZERTAC The Ministry of Digital Development and Transport (MDDT) and the International Bank of Azerbaijan (IBA) are launching a new joint project.The aim is to support the development of human capital in Azerbaijan. The project will train professional ICT specialists for the labor market. Students and graduates of higher education institutions will have the opportunities to acquire knowledge and skills in programming, software, design and other areas. Within the framework of this cooperation, it is planned to train 200 graduates in relevant areas in 2022.In addition, the IBA and the MDDT will jointly organize an idea marathon, incubation and acceleration programmes. The resources of the Bank’s IBA Tech Academy and IBA Innovation Center will be widely used in the implementation of joint activities. Thus, the next programmes to be announced in the coming days by the IBA Tech Academy will provide scholarship opportunities.The project is implemented as part of the Technest Scholarship Programme presented by the Ministry of Digital Development and Transport in 2021. The main aim of this programme is to form a social community of mature, innovative and entrepreneurial people in accordance with the requirements of the ICT labor market. Around 500 young people and teenagers are currently studying on the scholarship. 120 of them are schoolchildren.The IBA also actively supports the training of IT professionals and the development of the startup ecosystem in the country. The Bank’s IBA Tech Academy and the IBA Innovation Center have been operating for several years. The cooperation between the IBA and the Ministry of Digital Development and Transport in the field of education will make a significant contribution to the development of the innovation ecosystem in the country and the creation of innovative products and services.