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At a glance:

Client: Department of Statistics and Community Development, Sharjah
– United Arab Emirates
Industry: Public Sector
Initiative: Management Skills Development for Emirati women employees
Overview: Developing and empowering young Emirati women employees of
the Department through practical Management Skills training
which incorporates site visits whereby delegates get to apply the
knowledge and skills acquired in real-life settings.

The Department of Statistics and Community Development (DSCD), Sharjah has engaged London Business Training & Consulting (LBTC) since 2018 for its bespoke management training requirements. This includes highly customised training solutions delivered in London, New York & Dubai, utilising hands-on learning approaches such as:

• Site Visits & Debriefs
• Action Planning
• Group Activities
• Individual Exercises
• Case Studies & Documentaries
• In-class Discussions & Debates
• LBTC has also delivered training in Arabic for the DSCD.

LBTC has also delivered training in Arabic for the DSCD

“The consultant exceeded our expectations! Her
training methods were very effective.”

– Afra Alsuwaidi
Head of Finance & National Accounts Section

Background:
Through Emiri Decree No. 7 issued by His Highness Dr Sheikh Sultan Bin Muhammad Al Qasimi, Supreme Council Member and Ruler of Sharjah, the Sharjah Department of Statistics and Community Development (DSCD) was established in 2014 to create community development policies and strategies in the emirate of Sharjah, in collaboration with government and non-governmental entities. DSCD provides precise and reliable statistics on social, economic, health, agricultural, environmental and energy conditions in the emirate to decision makers, local and federal authorities, researchers and the public.

DSCD employees: establishing the benchmark
With a rapidly expanding workforce to address its equally burgeoning remit, the DSCD needs to develop the skills and abilities of its human capital – comprised mainly of young Emiratis. In 2018, DSCD’s Head of Learning & Development – Mr Salem Bin Darwish, assumed this responsibility. Having attended an LBTC open course himself, Mr Salem recognised its ability to design and deliver effective and targeted training programmes that could be highly tailored to the specific needs of the client organization.

“With greater representation of young Emirati women in DSCD’s workforce, we want to
develop their management skills and set the course for them as the future leaders of the
organization. DSCD’s staff should be the benchmark for all government employees in the
Emirate” – Mr Salem Bin Darwish.

Management Skills Development – a practical approach

DSCD needed to engage a training service provider that could:

• Understand the delegates’ respective backgrounds, roles and responsibilities;
• Develop a customised programme that effectively addresses the learning objectives through practical training techniques such as site visits, thereby contextualising the concepts covered in the classroom; and
• Appreciate the working culture and practices operative within the public sector in the Middle East.

Having worked with clients all over the Middle East for over 15 years, LBTC had a sound understanding of the cultural nuances and requirements, and thereby devised a 5-day training programme that would truly challenge and in turn develop the management skills of a cohort of six (6) women employees from DSCD.

DAY 1: Building Relationships by Communicating Supportively

• Building positive interpersonal relationships
• The importance of effective communication
• What is supportive communication?
• Principles of supportive communication
• The personal management interview

DAY2: Making Oral and Written Presentations

• Essential elements of effective presentations
• Formulate a specific strategy
• Develop a clear structure
• Support your points
• Use an enhancing style
• Style in oral communication
• Style in written communication
• Supplement your presentation by responding to questions and challenges
• Visit to the Office of National Statistics (ONS)
• Establish a professional relationship between DSCD and ONS by communicating effectively

DAY 3: Solving Problems Analytically and Creatively

• Problems solving, creativity, and innovation
• Steps in analytical problem solving
• Impediments to creative problem solving
• Multiple approaches to creativity
• Conceptual blocks
• Conceptual blockbusting
• Hints for applying problem-solving techniques
• Fostering creativity in others
• Visit to The Office Group
• Deliver a group presentation introducing DSCD highlighting its office space needs

DAY 4: Building Effective Teams and Teamwork

• The advantages of teams
• Team development
• Leading teams
• Team membership
• Visit to the Victoria & Albert Museum
• As a group prepare a report on exhibits from the Islamic Middle East collection

DAY 5: Leading Positive Change

• Ubiquitous and escalating change
• The need for frameworks
• A framework for leading positive change

“The training was an eye opener and very relevant
to our work context. Best
course ever!”
– Mira Aldoukhi

Impact
LBTC’s comprehensive schedule for DSCD including site-visits coupled with multiple individual and team activities throughout the week, developed and tested the management potential of the delegation of six (6) women employees from the client organization. Every participant completed the course with a recorded Action Plan shared with their respective line managers ready to implement immediately upon their return to work, including 6-months’ post-course support from LBTC with its implementation.

Future
The alumnus from DSCD having successfully implemented their respective Action Plans progressed through the organization on a fast-track basis. Subsequently, the client requires a schedule of forty (40) x 2-day courses to be delivered in Dubai, UAE from January – July 2022: in Leadership, Community Development and Statistics – with 70% of the training delivered in Arabic. LBTC has been engaged by DSCD to deliver this requirement.