The Federal Authority for Government Human Resources (FAHR) recently held the periodic Forum of the Federal Government’s preferred training partners under "Ma’aref" Initiative, which was launched in 2013 as one of the strategic initiatives FAHR, in order to compile a list of the best training providers UAE-wide and make it available to ministries and federal bodies to take advantage of the training programs offered by these partners at reduced rates.
The event, held in Dubai was attended by HE Dr. Abdulrahman Al Awar, Director General of FAHR, HE Mariam Al Abbar, Executive Director of Programs & HR Planning Sector, Amna Al Suwaidi, Director of HR Planning, a number of directors and staff of sectors and departments, and nearly 50 "Ma’aref" certified training providers.
In his speech during the Forum, HE Dr. Abdulrahman Al Awar said that the aim of the meeting was to explore the views and observations of training partners on "Ma’aref" initiative, ways to promote it, and to overcome the challenges that might encounter the experience. He emphasized the crucial role of the imitative in upgrading the competencies of the Federal Government employees and developing their skills, thus contributing to realizing the aspirations of the wise leadership of the UAE, led by President His Highness Sheikh Khalifa bin Zayed Al Nahyan, and His Highness Shaikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice President and Prime Minister of the UAE and Ruler of Dubai.
Dr. Abdulrahman Al Awar said: “The experience of ‘Ma’aref’ during 2014 has been rich and successful by all standards and at various levels, and it will focus in the next period on strategic partnerships with accredited training institutions under the initiative, to provide specialized technical programs aimed at upgrading the skills of Federal Government employees, thus enabling ministries and federal authorities to achieve their strategic goals.
“FAHR will cooperate with the National Qualifications Authority (NQA) over the next year to develop new global standards for more accurate evaluation of "Ma’aref" partners, according to a points system, in order to ensure the provision of quality programs for the Federal Government employees. FAHR is also seeking to strengthen the existing cooperation between ‘Ma’aref’ partners and the ministries and federal entities benefiting from their services”.
Mrs. Amna Al Suwaidi, Director of HR Planning at FAHR confirmed that "Ma’aref" is in line with the directives of the UAE’s wise leadership, the UAE Vision 2021, and its National Agenda, pointing out that it directly supports the implementation of the Federal Government’s HR Strategy, which is based on qualified human capital capable of achieving global leadership.
According to Amna Al Suwaidi, "Ma’aref" initiative has saved AED 5 million, or 20% of training budgets allocated to ministries and federal entities during 2014, and more than 450 training courses were organized under the Initiative from the beginning of the year until the end of the third quarter, with about 4,720 Federal Government employees attending these courses.
Al Suwaidi said: “FAHR received 143 applications from training providers to join the initiative, and 104 of them have been selected as partners. Currently, work is underway to choose more in the coming period. FAHR has also launched an interactive website for Maaref initiative in form of smart application, allowing training providers to showcase their courses, along with the special discounts offered exclusively to the Federal Government employees. The ministries and federal authorities can also choose courses that suit the needs of their employees, and identify the venues of such courses”.
Ms. Mead Al Ali, Head of Training & Continuing Education Policies, Department of HR Planning, gave a presentation about the main objectives of "Ma’aref" Initiative for the Federal Government’s preferred training partners, and the most important accomplishments during 2014, highlighting different areas of training under the initiative, such as: human resources, strategy and quality, leadership and management, communication, project management, as well as public administration and information technology.
Memorandum of Understanding
On the sidelines of the Forum, the Federal Authority for Government Human Resources, representative by its Director General HE Dr. Abdulrahman Al Awar signed a memoranda of understanding with each of: Lynchpin Company, represented by Mirza Farooq, and the Management and Real Estate Academy represented by Budalin Fostoria, whereby the latter two will provide training courses at reduced rates to the staff of the Federal Government under "Ma’aref” Initiative.
Panel Discussion
The event featured a panel discussion held between the Federal Authority for Government Human Resources’ team and representatives of "Ma’aref" Partners to address matters relating to training as a whole and to share views and proposals concerning further development of the initiative.“Ma’aref Initiative aims to:Establish a partnership based on social responsibility and serving the mutual interests of the government and private sectors. Guarantee providing high quality training for all employees working in the ministries and federal entities. Meet the training needs in accordance with the Training & Development System of the Federal Government employees. Achieve a financial surplus from the training budgets of federal entities, and serve the maximum number of employees. Enhance the competence and productivity of the Federal Government, and create a favourable business environment therein. Assist federal entities to select training courses online, in accordance with predefined time frames.