The Federal Authority for Government Human Resources was honored with winning the gold and bronze medals at the Middle East and North Africa Stevie Awards 2024. This recognition came as a result of presenting two quality initiatives, the first named “Ready”, aimed at preparing and developing government talents for the future, and the second initiative is the Sabbatical Initiative for self-employment, dedicated to federal government employees who are citizens.
The “Ready” initiative, the smart digital system dedicated to building the skills necessary for the future work of federal government talents, was crowned with the gold medal in the creativity category of educational or training websites. Additionally, the Sabbatical initiative, which grants federal citizen employees the opportunity to work freely, received the bronze medal, within the scope of innovative developments in human resources management.
Ms. Leila Al Suwaidi, the Director General of the Authority, expressed her affirmation that the initiative called “Ready”, announced by His Highness Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice President, Prime Minister of the UAE, Ruler of Dubai, may Allah protect him, in November 2022, has gained international fame in terms of concept and impact. The initiative was selected by the World Economic Forum in Davos as one of the top nine advanced global projects, in its report titled “Building Readiness for Tomorrow”, which highlights the most excellent institutional practices that are stimulating and prepare for the future.
The awards were presented to Maryam Al Zarouni, Director of Government Workforce Planning, and Zaid Al Qahtani, Director of Performance and Evaluation Management, at a special ceremony held in Ras Al Khaimah, attended by delegates from the award and participating countries.
Previously, the “Ready” initiative won the “Future Workplace Awards” for its outstanding use of modern technologies and artificial intelligence methods in educating, qualifying, and improving public human resources. It also won the award for Best Innovation in Resource Utilization in the “UAE Innovates 2024” competition, following the conclusion of the UAE Month of Innovation organized by the Mohammed bin Rashid Center for Government Innovation under the theme of “Impactful Innovations.”
“Ready” is one of the leading projects that contribute to improving the performance and capabilities of employees, dedicating efforts to equip government cadres with skills suitable for the future era and encouraging their active participation in achieving the leadership’s goals and aspirations of the “We Are the Emirates 2031” vision. On the other hand, the UAE government announced the launch of a Sabbatical for self-employment specifically for federal citizen government employees starting in 2023 as part of the “Fifty” initiatives, making this initiative unprecedented globally. Its purpose is to empower government employees to participate in the private sector and establish and manage their own projects in this core field.
The Sabbatical for self-employment embodies the forward-thinking vision of leaders in the United Arab Emirates, aimed at encouraging citizens to engage in innovation and establish projects. This Sabbatical is tailored for citizens working in federal government sectors, granting them the opportunity to venture into self-employment by establishing or managing their own commercial project, with a full-year leave at full pay.
The “Ready” initiative contributed to enhancing the skills of fifty thousand employees from over fifty government institutions, as they received over eight hundred thousand training badges after completing a million hours of training focused on developing their readiness with future skills, including (analytical and AI skills, modern economics and cybersecurity skills, along with digital skills, productivity-enhancing skills, and performance-accelerating skills), all within a framework aiming to maximize employee productivity and equip them with the skills they need to anticipate the future, keeping up with continuous and rapid changes in the government work scope.
“Ready” serves as an advanced model within the government framework aimed at enhancing the level of.Preparing for the upcoming days by equipping government employees with the optimal skills at a global level to face the future is crucial. This initiative encompasses all federal government workers, with a focus on empowering government teams to adapt to the rapidly changing requirements of an era marked by swift transformations. It involves embracing emerging issues and cutting-edge fields that are expected to play a pivotal role in shaping and forming the future. The electronic platform “Ready” offers four core sets of future skills to all federal government employees, including 20 advanced sub-skills. The platform also includes personal portfolios for each employee’s future skills within the government, acting as a comprehensive personal file that links the employee’s progress in learning skills with job performance. Participants in the platform are awarded badges upon completing the requirements of future skills. The judging committee praised the achievements of the Federal Authority for Government Human Resources and expressed their admiration for the innovative initiatives “Ready” and the Sabbatical Program for Entrepreneurial Work. These initiatives contribute to supporting human resources development, embodying a forward-looking perspective to enhance employees’ skills and foster an entrepreneurial spirit. They also enable employees to seize opportunities in the private sector in line with broader objectives to stimulate national economic growth.
