In a statement, HE Laila Al Suwaidi, Executive Director of Programs and Human Resources Planning, said that the Authority, in cooperation with its accredited training partners within "Ma’arif" initiative, held 154 free and joint training courses during the first half of 2018, attended by about 3,200 employees working in the ministries and federal entities.

She added that these workshops and training programs are part of a series of community initiatives launched by the Authority during the year in response to the announcement of 2018 as the Year of Zayed by His Highness Sheikh Khalifa bin Zayed Al Nahyan, President of the UAE.

She explained that since the launch of the initiative, the Authority has received about 500 applications from training providers in the UAE to join the initiative.

“164 of these training providers have been selected according to recently developed and updated standards that are in line with the aspirations of the leadership, to raise the quality of training services in the federal entities”, she noted.

She added that the Authority closely monitors the performance of training institutions joining "Ma’arif" initiative and the quality of training programs they provide, explores the views and perceptions of federal government employees participating in these programs, and excludes some institutions that do not adhere to the criteria set by the Authority.

For her part, Lulua Al Marzouki, Director of Human Resources Planning, FAHR, noted that the workshops and training sessions held by the Authority in cooperation with its partners during the first half of the year, addressed several topics including: strategy, quality, leadership and management, communication, project management, public administration and information technology,  accounting and legal affairs, sign language, creative thinking, building strategic and operational plans, career path training, implementation of excellence standards in government customer service centers, motivation and career development, media, finance and investment, institutional development and human resources management.

100 training programs through Ma’arif electronic portal

Lulua Marzouki pointed out that the Authority offered, in cooperation with Ma’arif partners, 100 training programs for the the Federal Government employees via Ma’arif electronic portal during the first half of ‘Year of Zayed’, noting that the portal whose updated version was launched in 2017, allows the staff of ministries and federal entities to access training programs and workshops offered by accredited training providers within Ma’arif Initiative.

She explained that the portal, which attracted more than 37 thousand visitors since its launch, allows training officials in the ministries and federal bodies to enrol their staff in the training courses announced by Ma’arif partners, in addition to providing the opportunity to evaluate the training programs and linking them with the Training & Development System for Federal Government employees.

Ma’arif- An Overview

Ma’arif initiative for the Federal Government’s preferred training partners is one of the strategic initiatives of the Authority. The idea is to identify the best training providers in the UAE according to specific criteria, prepare a list of these providers and make them available to ministries and federal bodies, to take advantage of their training programs at reduced prices or free of charge.

The initiative seeks to empower citizens to take on leadership roles and technical positions as well as create a culture based on excellent performance, high productivity, and development of human capital, toward the achievement of Human Resources Strategy in the Federal Government and the UAE Vision 2021.  

Ma’aref Initiative aims to:

Establish a partnership based on social responsibility and serving the mutual interests the government and private sectors. Guarantee providing high quality training for around 84,000 employees working in 56 ministry and federal entity. Meet the training needs in accordance with the training and 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.