Building and Developing Dubai Culture ‘Talent Pool’

Dubai Culture and Arts Authority launched an internal trainer programme ‘Talent Pool’ to identify experts and skilled employees with the qualifications to provide specific training courses as part of the Authority’s plan for training and development to turn skilled individuals into certified trainers and consolidate the culture of knowledge transfer.

In this regard, Mohammed Obaid Al-Marri, director of the human resources department at Dubai Culture, explained that the Authority seeks, through Talent Pool, to benefit from experts, specialists, and people with high efficiency across various fields related to Dubai Culture’s work as well as to employ their capabilities in developing its institutional work system.

Optimal use of resources

Al-Marri said: “The secret behind the success and continuity of institutions today lies in their ability to benefit from the knowledge and accumulated experiences of their employees and invest this experience in the best manner, which contributes to increasing productivity and preserving resources. The human resources department developed the internal training programme to develop and qualify the Authority’s cadres, enhancing operational and productive efficiency as well as rationalising training expenditures through the optimal use of resources.

He added that the programme also aims to reduce the time used to identify the appropriate Talent Pool member to address and resolve a specific problem through the use of a database of all employees as well as provide a clearer vision of the level of knowledge and skills of organisational unit employees. The programme also aims to help create a work environment that stimulates knowledge acquisition in addition to enhancing institutional affiliation, raising the levels of job satisfaction and harmony, creating a partnership based on social responsibility and mutual benefit within the Authority, and increasing the level of creativity and innovation in it.

Future Jobs

As for the talents that are targeted by the programme, Mohammad Obaid Al-Marri explained: “The Fourth Industrial Revolution will create millions of new jobs that would require a range of skills that the Authority is keen to develop among its national cadres. According to the ‘Jobs of Tomorrow’ report issued by the World Economic Forum, the talents targeted by Dubai Culture in its programme include graphic design, applications and websites, social media management, virtual teaching, project management, virtual project management, creative design, managing brainstorming sessions, and video production.”

Internal trainer ‘friendly personality’

Mohammad Obaid Al-Marri explained that an internal trainer is a person who is entrusted with sharing their professional and academic experience through an organised training process and with certain professional categories to be determined by the human resources department, especially if this person possesses innovative visions. The administration has set criteria and conditions for selecting a trainer, most prominent of which is are attributes of ‘friendly personality’, which constitutes a person who understands the psychological characteristics of trainees and is able to maintain their attention, interest, and interaction, while also enjoying effective communication skills.

Selection and nomination

The Authority adopted a set of criteria for selecting members of the Talent Pool, including achievements and appreciation in the field of specialisation, relevant academic qualification, practical experience related to acquired knowledge or skill, communication skills, desire for training, ability to prepare training content, and knowledge of best appropriate practices to disseminate and apply them. As for members, their nomination takes place by way of three methods: self-nomination, whereby an employee nominates themselves; nominating colleagues; and nominating a direct manager. Members also undergo a semi-annual evaluation process by a specialised team from the human resources department at the Authority to ensure the process of continuous improvement and measure the impact of the training.

Rewards and incentives

Based on Dubai Culture’s keenness to motivate members of Talent Pool, the Authority will adopt a methodology of personal, material, and moral rewards and incentives. In personal motivation, Dubai Culture will grant Talent Pool members the opportunity to attend local and international conferences and specialised workshops as well as to participate in visits that are held for benchmarking purposes.

As for the material motivation, it is represented by nominating Talent Pool members within the rewards and incentives system of the Authority’s employees, while the moral motivation includes the classification of members following the first annual evaluation into three categories: gold, silver and bronze; the phrase ‘gold member’ will be placed next to the job title of the employee’s electronic signature. A certificate of appreciation and honour from the director general will also be granted, taking into account the efforts made from transferring knowledge to employees during the annual evaluation.

Based on Dubai Culture’s firm belief in the importance of qualification building and training, which are the core of its talent development, this step comes within the framework of its commitment to be an incubator for distinguished employees. This step also seeks to promote a positive and innovative work environment that raises the level of employee loyalty, preserves them, and makes them happy.