Abu Dhabi School of Government welcomes 4000 participants in its first year

• Over 200 senior leaders in Abu Dhabi government departments have received advanced training
• More than 380 employees evaluated for “The Leader Programme”

ABU DHABI, UAE : The board of trustees at the Abu Dhabi School of Government (ADSG), chaired by Her Excellency Sara Awad Issa Musallam, chairperson of the Department of Education and Knowledge (ADEK) and member of the Abu Dhabi Executive Council, held its first meeting on Monday 09 September. The board reviewed ADSG’s future strategy to scale up its programmes for government employees in the emirate, building on the achievements of ADSG’s first year, during which over 4000 government employees began their learning journey with the academy.

In addition, the board of trustees studied ADSG’s plan and budget for the year ahead, including plans for ongoing programmes such as the Government Employment Charter, the General Track, Advanced Strategic Leadership, Leading for Change, and Leading for Transformation, as well as reviewing plans for rolling out forthcoming new programmes. To date, ADSG has conducted over 116 sessions of the Government Employment Charter with 3900 government employees attending the sessions. ADSG has also delivered over 33 sessions of the General Track programmes to over 450 government employees.

During its first year of operation, ADSG laid the foundations for close cooperation and partnership with governmental departments, authorities, and agencies across the emirate to ensure that its programmes meet their needs and requirements. The academy also confirmed partnerships with global leaders in the education space including IMD Business School and Harvard Kennedy School. Furthermore, it conducted a series of roadshows within 8 weeks at 41 entities across the emirate, to ensure that thousands of employees are aware of ADSG’s objectives and are ready to be involved in forthcoming programmes.

The board of trustees includes Her Excellency Maryam Eid Al Mheiri, Director General of the Abu Dhabi Government Media Office as Vice-Chair, along with His Excellency Amer Hussain Mohammed Al Hammadi, Director General of the Human Resources Authority; Major General Ali Khalfan Al Dhaheri, Director of the Central Operations Sector at Abu Dhabi Police; and Mr Ghannam Butti Khaleefa Al Mazrouei, Director of Human Resources and Administrative Affairs at Abu Dhabi National Oil Company (ADNOC) as members of the board. 

Her Excellency Sara Awad Issa Musallam, Chairperson of ADSG’s Board of Trustees, said, “ADSG will play a central role in developing the skills of thousands of government employees across the emirate. Abu Dhabi is evolving, and we need to ensure that our employees have the skills of the future to help deliver further change.

“Continuous education will be essential in delivering a seismic change and making sure we have a workforce fit for the challenges of the future. Having seen the progress over the first year, it is a programme of unique importance and we have stretching targets to ensure more employees are utilizing the program to their benefit.”

ADSG was established in May 2018 to develop the capabilities of employees across all government entities and accelerate their career progression, and the academy launched its programmes later that year.

The academy is expected to play a significant role in Abu Dhabi’s vision to build a sustainable knowledge-based culture in the future. The programmes will enable all government employees to perform their duties more effectively and to the highest standards, while establishing Abu Dhabi as a centre of government excellence, contributing to the emirate’s vision of building a sustainable and open economy.

One of the reasons behind the partnerships with best-in-class international and local educational institutions is in order to deliver the latest educational programs in topics ranging from artificial intelligence (AI), cyber security and finance, allowing employees to develop the skills relevant to the needs of the future economy. ADSG will enable government employees to reach a requisite international standard, while providing a platform to excel at their careers and be prepared to navigate through fast-paced market conditions.

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About Abu Dhabi School of Government

The Abu Dhabi School of Government was established in 2018 and is the government entity responsible for overseeing and planning the learning and development of all Abu Dhabi government employees. Its remit is to develop the most effective government workforce for the emirate through the provision of high-quality training and development activities, based on international best practice, while considering the priorities and requirements of Abu Dhabi.

Abu Dhabi School of Government is a supporting pillar of the ‘Ghadan 21’ program, which was unveiled by His Highness Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi, in September 2018. ‘Ghadan 21’, which means ‘Tomorrow 21’ in Arabic, aims to enhance the overall competitiveness of Abu Dhabi.

ADSG is instrumental in achieving the goals of ‘Ghadan 21’ by adopting innovation in promoting and supporting the education within the government work environment, in addition to incorporating the latest trends and research, while maintaining its focus on the emirate’s future needs. To achieve its mandate of offering a world-class comprehensive learning experience to UAE government employees, ADSG is forging partnerships with the best local and international academic institutions, as well as online educational platforms from around the world.

For more information about Abu Dhabi School of Government, visit www.adsg.gov.abudhabi 

© Press Release 2019