Beyond the Headlines: 60,000 Abu Dhabi Government employees to get access to elite online courses


Mustafa Alrawi
  • English
  • Arabic

More than 60,000 Abu Dhabi Government employees will be provided with access to 3,000 online courses from the world's top universities to give people the skills needed in a workplace being changed by emerging technologies.

The Abu Dhabi School of Government has partnered with Coursera, one of the world’s leading online learning platforms, to provide professional training and development programmes for critical skills in areas such as data science, artificial intelligence, leadership and digital transformation.

The world's most well known educational institutions such as Johns Hopkins, Duke and Stanford University are among the providers on the Coursera platform. Thirty courses will be fully in Arabic while 70 will have Arabic subtitles.

Solveig Nicklos, the dean of the Abu Dhabi School of Government and Jeff Maggioncalda, Coursera's chief executive spoke to The National about their partnership ahead of the Milken Institute's Mena Summit in Abu Dhabi on Tuesday, where they were taking part in a discussion titled 'Building Tomorrow's Global Workforce'.

Mina Al-Oraibi, Editor in Chief of The National, Jeff Maggioncalda, Coursera CEO and Solveig Nicklos, dean of the Abu Dhabi School of Government during a panel discussion on 'Building Tomorrow's Global Workforce' at the Milken Institute MENA Summit. (Photo: Antonie Robertson/The National)
Mina Al-Oraibi, Editor in Chief of The National, Jeff Maggioncalda, Coursera CEO and Solveig Nicklos, dean of the Abu Dhabi School of Government during a panel discussion on 'Building Tomorrow's Global Workforce' at the Milken Institute MENA Summit. (Photo: Antonie Robertson/The National)

The World Economic Forum says that the digital transformation of economies and businesses will displace 75 million jobs as the division of labour shifts between humans, machines and algorithms. However, 133 million new roles may emerge that are more adapted to this technology-led future.

Mohammed Al Gergawi, Minister of Cabinet Affairs and The Future, told the World Government Summit in Dubai this week that governments must take more of a lead role in shaping key developments that are currently being driven forward by the private sector, and that the public sector is lagging behind.

Governments will also need to consider new legislation for technologies such as 3D-printing and driverless cars. Employees will need the ability to be across all of these innovations on an equal footing with their private sector counterparts.

Ms Nicklos said that a confident and capable workforce is crucial to these efforts to build a sustainable and open economy.

The school will help train and equip government employees with the relevant skills needed for this new scenario. The partnership with Coursera will provide “unprecedented access” to a vast library of courses geared to the professional development of Abu Dhabi government employees, she said.

“The best thing we can provide is a curious, knowledge seeking government that understands how to find the information that it needs and how to interpret the data that’s available to them," said Ms Nicklos.

The Abu Dhabi School of Government was launched last year to develop the capabilities of employees across all government agencies and accelerate their career progression. It aims to engage with about half of all the emirate's public sector workers this year through both classroom and online programmes.

The school is a supporting pillar of the Ghadan 21 programme unveiled last summer by Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed, Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi and Deputy Supreme Commander of the UAE Armed Forces.

Ghadan 21, which means Tomorrow 21 in Arabic, aims to enhance the overall competitiveness of Abu Dhabi. The school supports education efforts within the government, incorporating the latest trends and research, to ensure employees are able to meet the emirate's future needs.

Mustafa Alrawi, The National's Assistant Editor in Chief, in conversation with Solveig Nicklos, dean of the Abu Dhabi School of Government and Jeff Maggioncalda, chief executive of Coursera. Victor Besa/The National
Mustafa Alrawi, The National's Assistant Editor in Chief, in conversation with Solveig Nicklos, dean of the Abu Dhabi School of Government and Jeff Maggioncalda, chief executive of Coursera. Victor Besa/The National

The Coursera platform’s content is predominantly video based and includes assignments, quizzes and digital interaction as part of the courses. Abu Dhabi Government HR departments will have access to Coursera analytics to track the progress of its employees as they build up their skillsets.

Mr Maggioncalda said the partnership with ADSG “is the most significant initiative that we have in the Middle East right now”.

“We are fully committed to supporting Abu Dhabi’s ambition of upskilling its governmental workforce and fulfilling its potential as a knowledge economy.”

Launched in 2012 by two professors from Stanford, Coursera trains millions of government and private sector employees across a number of countries around the world including the US, India, France and Egypt.

The Middle East is a region marked by innovation amidst a major technology transformation, according to Mr Maggioncalda.

“We have over 170,000 consumer learners on Coursera right now in the UAE and the number one course is ‘learning how to learn’," he said.

"One of the most important things is becoming a life-long learner, someone who is curious and understands that the world is changing so quickly that people will need to continue to learn and upskill for the rest of their lives."

How to donate

Send “thenational” to the following numbers or call the hotline on: 0502955999
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Where to buy

Limited-edition art prints of The Sofa Series: Sultani can be acquired from Reem El Mutwalli at www.reemelmutwalli.com

F1 The Movie

Starring: Brad Pitt, Damson Idris, Kerry Condon, Javier Bardem

Director: Joseph Kosinski

Rating: 4/5

WOMAN AND CHILD

Director: Saeed Roustaee

Starring: Parinaz Izadyar, Payman Maadi

Rating: 4/5

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'The Batman'

Stars:Robert Pattinson

Director:Matt Reeves

Rating: 5/5

IF YOU GO

The flights

FlyDubai flies direct from Dubai to Skopje in five hours from Dh1,314 return including taxes. Hourly buses from Skopje to Ohrid take three hours.

The tours

English-speaking guided tours of Ohrid town and the surrounding area are organised by Cultura 365; these cost €90 (Dh386) for a one-day trip including driver and guide and €100 a day (Dh429) for two people. 

The hotels

Villa St Sofija in the old town of Ohrid, twin room from $54 (Dh198) a night.

St Naum Monastery, on the lake 30km south of Ohrid town, has updated its pilgrims' quarters into a modern 3-star hotel, with rooms overlooking the monastery courtyard and lake. Double room from $60 (Dh 220) a night.

 

SCORES

Yorkshire Vikings 144-1 in 12.5 overs
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bt Hobart Hurricanes 140-7 in 20 overs
(Caleb Jewell 38, Sean Willis 35, Karl Carver 2-29, Josh Shaw 2-39)

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What are the influencer academy modules?
  1. Mastery of audio-visual content creation. 
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The bio

Studied up to grade 12 in Vatanappally, a village in India’s southern Thrissur district

Was a middle distance state athletics champion in school

Enjoys driving to Fujairah and Ras Al Khaimah with family

His dream is to continue working as a social worker and help people

Has seven diaries in which he has jotted down notes about his work and money he earned

Keeps the diaries in his car to remember his journey in the Emirates

Director: Laxman Utekar

Cast: Vicky Kaushal, Akshaye Khanna, Diana Penty, Vineet Kumar Singh, Rashmika Mandanna

Rating: 1/5

Benefits of first-time home buyers' scheme
  • Priority access to new homes from participating developers
  • Discounts on sales price of off-plan units
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  • Mortgages with better interest rates, faster approval times and reduced fees
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Canadians living in the UAE can register to vote online and be added to the International Register of Electors.

They'll then be sent a special ballot voting kit by mail either to their address, the Consulate General of Canada to the UAE in Dubai or The Embassy of Canada in Abu Dhabi

Registered voters mark the ballot with their choice and must send it back by 6pm Eastern time on October 21 (2am next Friday) 

The specs
Engine: 3.0-litre 6-cyl turbo

Power: 374hp at 5,500-6,500rpm

Torque: 500Nm from 1,900-5,000rpm

Transmission: 8-speed auto

Fuel consumption: 8.5L/100km

Price: from Dh285,000

On sale: from January 2022 

Pakistan v New Zealand Test series

Pakistan: Sarfraz (c), Hafeez, Imam, Azhar, Sohail, Shafiq, Azam, Saad, Yasir, Asif, Abbas, Hassan, Afridi, Ashraf, Hamza

New Zealand: Williamson (c), Blundell, Boult, De Grandhomme, Henry, Latham, Nicholls, Ajaz, Raval, Sodhi, Somerville, Southee, Taylor, Wagner

Umpires: Bruce Oxerford (AUS) and Ian Gould (ENG); TV umpire: Paul Reiffel (AUS); Match referee: David Boon (AUS)

Tickets and schedule: Entry is free for all spectators. Gates open at 9am. Play commences at 10am

MATCH INFO

What: India v Afghanistan, first Test
When: Starts Thursday
Where: M Chinnaswamy Stadium, Bengalaru

The five pillars of Islam

1. Fasting 

2. Prayer 

3. Hajj 

4. Shahada 

5. Zakat 

Tearful appearance

Chancellor Rachel Reeves set markets on edge as she appeared visibly distraught in parliament on Wednesday. 

Legislative setbacks for the government have blown a new hole in the budgetary calculations at a time when the deficit is stubbornly large and the economy is struggling to grow. 

She appeared with Keir Starmer on Thursday and the pair embraced, but he had failed to give her his backing as she cried a day earlier.

A spokesman said her upset demeanour was due to a personal matter.

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Transmission: Continuously variable transmission
Power: 118hp @ 6,600rpm
Torque: 146Nm @ 4,600rpm
Fuel economy, combined: 5.8L / 100km

Our family matters legal consultant

Name: Hassan Mohsen Elhais

Position: legal consultant with Al Rowaad Advocates and Legal Consultants.

UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
How much do leading UAE’s UK curriculum schools charge for Year 6?
  1. Nord Anglia International School (Dubai) – Dh85,032
  2. Kings School Al Barsha (Dubai) – Dh71,905
  3. Brighton College Abu Dhabi - Dh68,560
  4. Jumeirah English Speaking School (Dubai) – Dh59,728
  5. Gems Wellington International School – Dubai Branch – Dh58,488
  6. The British School Al Khubairat (Abu Dhabi) - Dh54,170
  7. Dubai English Speaking School – Dh51,269

*Annual tuition fees covering the 2024/2025 academic year

Super 30

Produced: Sajid Nadiadwala and Phantom Productions
Directed: Vikas Bahl
Cast: Hrithik Roshan, Pankaj Tripathi, Aditya Srivastav, Mrinal Thakur
Rating: 3.5 /5

The specs
Engine: 2.0-litre turbo 4-cyl

Transmission: eight-speed auto

Power: 190bhp

Torque: 300Nm

Price: Dh169,900

On sale: now 

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Always use only regulated platforms

Stop all transactions and communication on suspicion

Save all evidence (screenshots, chat logs, transaction IDs)

Report to local authorities

Warn others to prevent further harm

Courtesy: Crystal Intelligence

Key facilities
  • Olympic-size swimming pool with a split bulkhead for multi-use configurations, including water polo and 50m/25m training lanes
  • Premier League-standard football pitch
  • 400m Olympic running track
  • NBA-spec basketball court with auditorium
  • 600-seat auditorium
  • Spaces for historical and cultural exploration
  • An elevated football field that doubles as a helipad
  • Specialist robotics and science laboratories
  • AR and VR-enabled learning centres
  • Disruption Lab and Research Centre for developing entrepreneurial skills
While you're here

Pad Man

Dir: R Balki

Starring: Akshay Kumar, Sonam Kapoor, Radhika Apte

Three-and-a-half stars