The launch ceremony took place at the annual meeting of training and continuous learning partners at the Federal Government level, recently held by the Authority, with the participation of training and development officials in ministries and federal entities, and a number of the best international training providers.

In this regard, Maryam Al-Zarooni, Director of Government Human Resources Planning Department, FAHR, confirmed that a set of more than 400 specialized programs and certificates will be launched under the initiative periodically, including about 20 job families, targeting one specific family each time. Selection of these programs will be in cooperation with the best training providers in the world, and it is expected that more than 190 specialized certificates will be awarded, following nearly 10,000 training hours.

She explained that the new initiative targets all Federal Government job categories, with the aim of honing the skills of employees and enhancing their career paths, in order to achieve the Government's aspirations and future directions.

The virtual meeting, which was moderated by Maryam Al Zarooni, saw the participation of Sharifa A. Al Bashr, HR planning specialist, several the Authority's employees, about 40 training officials from ministries and federal entities, and 10 strategic partners including international training providers.

During the meeting, the training providers reviewed the programs and specialized certificates offered by their companies, which are in line with the Federal Government’s policy towards the development of employees of ministries and federal entities, increase their knowledge, and professional and personal skills.

The meeting also reviewed the latest training techniques used globally and locally, and the best training programs and courses provided by partners within 20 approved job families, including, but not limited to, information technology, human resources, institutional development, support services, finance and accounting, health and safety, and programs and projects management.

Other issues dealt with by the annual meeting included the added value that might be achieved through the training partners’ programs at the Federal Government level. The meeting also discussed the discounts offered that could be offered by training partners to the federal entities for these programs and certificates, according to memoranda of understanding signed with the Authority, in relation to various training and development initiatives managed by the Authority, including: e-Learning Portal “Al-Mawrid”, professional certification for Federal Government employees initiative “Elite”, and Federal Government’s   preferred training partners initiative “Ma’aref”.

The Authority had launched in 2019, the e-learning portal initiative “Al Mawrid”, whereby the Authority concludes contracts with universities and educational institutions, specialized firms and leading international organizations, to provide expert training and development, leading to professional certification, electronic training courses and programs, and educational materials for Federal Government employees at competitive prices.

The initiative aims to develop the employees’ knowledge, skills and capabilities, so that they can cope with the rapidly changing needs of global labor market by receiving reliable electronic training, at any time, and from anywhere in the world.

Elite Initiative, on the other hand, was launched by the Authority in 2021, to develop and enhance the skills of employees of ministries and federal entities, by providing them with approved certificates and professional programs offered by local and international universities and training institutes, within 20 job families, at preferential prices.

The professional certification initiative aims primarily to empower Federal Government employees and provide them with the necessary professional skills, so that they can achieve institutional goals and move towards the future, with high skills and specialized competencies. The   professional certificates obtained are approved by local and international awarding bodies considered the best training providers, including leading institutes and universities in all disciplines, at preferential prices for Federal Government employees.