“The fourth industrial revolution and successive technological changes are creating a turning point for the future economies and governments, which requires preparation to take advantage this revolution that integrates physical, digital and dynamic technologies to produce services, products and opportunities unprecedented in new sectors”, he said.

Dr. Al-Awar addressed the future competency model for the government sector, which consists of five levels: personal competencies, academic competencies, competencies related to the work environment, specialized competencies by economic sectors, and specialized competencies by occupational groups in each sector. He argued that these five competencies combined together will generate leadership competencies capable of building a better future, leading change, acting as role models, supporting diversity, empowering human capital, and supporting strategic partnerships.

HE also presented the strategic roadmap for continuing education, consisting of four central elements: academic qualifications, behavioral competencies, technical and specialized training, leadership development and management. He stressed that continuous learning strategy is among the best ways to enable government employees to keep pace with the future technical changes.

The Director General of the Federal Authority for Government Human Resources noted the UAE’s relative superiority in terms of training hours achieved. He hinted at the results of the Balanced Scorecard in the federal government for 2017, which indicate that federal entities had achieved up to 33 training hours per year per employee, covering 77% of targeted employees, in addition to relevance of training and education programs to the needs of different government agencies by providing appropriate training content and adopting modern methodologies such as e-learning, simulation, on-the-job training, learning through games and others.

Al Awar called for adopting modern methodologies for personal and interactive learning, as well as focusing on offering accredited certificates, providing specialized technical training programs, and rewarding employees who show willingness to learn.

In addition, Al-Awar also reviewed the responsibilities of developing the skills of government sector employees, stressing that they are a shared responsibility between government agencies on the one hand and employees on the other. He underlined the importance of the role played by training providers who significantly contribute to effectiveness of these responsibilities, by designing relevant training programs and offering them with the required quality and efficiency.

He also stressed the importance of the strategic partnership between the public and private sectors in training employees and empowering the governmental human capital, citing "Ma’arif" initiative for the federal government’s preferred training partners, launched by the Authority in 2013. The initiative aims to build partnerships with the best training providers in the UAE so that the ministries and federal agencies can benefit from their training programs at competitive prices.

HE Dr Al Awar concluded by stressing on the magnitude of the Fourth Industrial Revolution’s impact on the current work environment and the quality of jobs and skills that will increase demand in light of technological developments. He urged all parties to give top priority to developing the skills of existing employees to enable them to perform the demanding tasks of future jobs, which require special skills and knowledge necessary to improve productivity and performance in the government sector, abiding by the highest standards of innovation, continuous learning, and flexibility.