Transguard Group, a leading UAE-based business outsourcing and support services company, has opened its new Centre of Excellence on a 38,000-sq-ft area within the Dubai Investment Park at an investment of Dh3.8 million ($1.03 million).

Fully capable of developing Transguard’s expanding workforce, which surged past the 60,000 employee mark this month, the new facility will host training courses for up to 450 staff every day, with the centre expected to run a near-24/7 operation during peak business periods, to meet intense industry demand.

Located in DIP between Emirates Road and Jebel Ali, and in close proximity to the Expo 2020 site, the two-storey centre comprises offices and classrooms on the first floor.

On the ground floor several dedicated mock-up rooms, including a purpose-built apartment, office, clinic and even a fully furnished hotel room complete with a variety of materials and finishes requiring different maintenance solutions and methods.

The Centre of Excellence also features a K9 unit with kennels for 16 dogs to support Transguard’s specialist dog handling and detection training.

It is tasked with training 75,000 Transguard staff by 2020, said a top official.

"Training and development at Transguard is more than just a vital management tool, it provides the foundation through which we create a motivated and passionate workforce who are inspired to continuously improve, grow their careers and in turn, provide the best possible service to our customers," remarked Greg Ward, the managing director, Transguard Group.

Transguard has 39 trainers, team leaders, teachers, facilitators and specialists based at the centre.  

Over 170 courses will be undertaken, under nine key areas: Administration Skills, Hard Skills, Project Management Skills, Reporting Skills, Soft Skills, Software and Applications, Technical Skills, TG Leadership Skills and TG Management Skills. Additional courses range from Office Management, Document Control, Building Development and Critical Thinking, to Social Media Strategy, Team Building and Managing Safely.

The appropriate cleaning courses are accredited by BICS, while also meeting Transguard Group’s internal standards. Courses in specialist cleaning, K9 handling and Lean 6 Sigma and English language courses will also be delivered at the centre.

"With our new, purpose-built centre, we expect to train around 25,000 technicians every year, meaning our new centre will train 75,000 staff by 2020 – a significant number by any business standard. Our objective is clear, we want to create one of the most agile, educated and tech-savvy workforces in the region," he added.-TradeArabia News Service