General Information Authority (GIA) has tied up with the National Academy for Research and Development (NARD), to launch the ‘Khibrate’ (My Skills) program.

The establishment of the Khibrate program is part of GIA's continuing efforts to build a society based on knowledge and to implement the UAE e-Strategy. It aims to empower government employees as well as other members of the community with practical and professional skills.

The Khibrate program offers a number of diploma programs and professional training courses that are recognised by leading IT multinationals, including Microsoft, Oracle, Cisco and Adobe.

The new courses are in addition to specialised courses and certificates on security and protection of websites and the International Computer Driving Licence (ICDL) certificate being offered by GIA.

Furthermore, the Khibrate program focuses on courses that deliver added value to government workplaces and promote the administrative skills and performance of employees, particularly in the areas of time management, communications and customer service.

The program also seeks to enhance the government's ability to promote business ethics, build job loyalty and settle disputes, as subjects related to effective negotiation skills; change management, creative thinking and initiative have been incorporated in the various courses.

Salem Khamis Al Shair, GIA general manager, said: "The UAE is currently undergoing a period of transition wherein the country needs to focus on excellence and quality to overcome the challenges posed by the global economic crisis."

"Furthermore, the ongoing electronic transformation of the country is one of our priorities as it will serve as one of the foundations that will help us achieve sustainable development."

"In this regard, we are empowering the country's public sector with essential skills and knowledge, which we believe will improve their ability to contribute towards achieving the UAE's vision of becoming a strong and stable knowledge-based society."

"The Khibrate initiative is an important step in this direction as it will help strengthen the country's pool of qualified professionals, particularly those in the government sector," he added.

Al Shair noted that "the name Khibrate was chosen so that employees will feel that they are directly involved in and that they are the beneficiaries of the program."

The program also aims to correct the misconception that the eGovernment initiative has been established to "replace" human resources with technology.

Instead, eGovernment reinforces the importance of creating a more developed working environment, which is conducive for creativity and innovation, and promotes professionalism, he added.

Meanwhile, Nard CEO Najwa Ali Diab said, "The Academy has extensive experience in developing and providing professional training programs for various segments of the society, particularly in the government sector.

"As such, we consider this partnership with GIA as a strategic move that will strengthen our ability to deliver greater value in the training materials and resources that we offer," Ali Diab noted.

"Through the years, we have seen that our efforts to supplement the knowledge and professional skills of public sector employees have made a considerable positive impact on the government. We are thus confident that this partnership will further boost the success of our initiatives," he added.-TradeArabia News Service