Dubai Municipality announces free project management course for 500 applicants

Dubai: Dubai Municipality on Monday announced its ‘Project Management Experts Programme,’ marking a significant step in supporting Emirati professionals in the construction sector in Dubai.

The initiative forms part of the national campaign "The UAE: The Startup Capital of the World", launched by His Highness Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice President and Prime Minister of the UAE and Ruler of Dubai,on Sunday.

The programme targets Emiratis with construction experience, including both young professionals and retired citizens, announced Director General of Dubai Municipality, Marwan Ahmed Bin Ghalita.

"We are introducing this project manager course to capitalise on the knowledge of the UAE citizens, because there is a lot of expertise, a lot of knowledge with them,” Bin Galita told Gulf News.

“This is for both youngsters who are still working and for the retired people because we have many retired people with a wealth of knowledge and the capacity to serve the community,” he said.

Supporting homeowners

The specialised training programme aims to qualify national talents with construction experience, enabling them to supervise residential construction projects efficiently and professionally. Participants will learn to manage projects through all phases—from planning to completion—whilst acquiring skills to support homeowners building their houses.

"Construction of your own house is not an easy job. It requires knowledge, effort, funding and everything. So, you need to properly plan this," Bin Ghalita noted.

"By appointing those project managers, we are trying to save the national Emiratis from a lot of hiccups, a lot of spending, a lot of unknown techniques."

Training structure

The comprehensive training initiative will certify 500 Emiratis over five years, with 100 candidates qualifying annually through five batches of 20 applicants each, he revealed.

The first batch of 50 participants will attend a five-day course from October 21 to 27, running from 5pm to 9pm daily.

Applications can be submitted through the website of Dubai Municipality and the New Economy Academy, the civic body’s partner in providing the training programme.

9,000 opportunities

The programme creates immediate business opportunities for participants, as more than 9,000 houses are currently under construction in Dubai, Bin Ghalita revealed.

He highlighted the low barrier to entry: "Not everybody can start his own business. If I want to start a project management company, first of all, I need space, I need to hire people, I need systems, I need logistics. But to start as an individual project expert, you don't need all these."

He added: "Once they stabilise, they can start their own company as well. Here in the UAE, we have a lot of retired people who can still give several years of expertise. Just imagine if you are a retired person sitting in your area and there are four or villa five projects in your neighbourhood."

Programme objectives

The initiative aims to achieve several key objectives:

Qualify Emirati youth to manage citizen housing projects according to Dubai Municipality requirements.

Enable participants to provide neutral technical consultations that help reduce disputes between owners and consultants.

Organise the advisory process in building citizen housing by regulating and qualifying a competent workforce.

Create a sustainable source of income for participants through obtaining an accredited licence enabling them to manage projects.

National vision

The Project Management Experts Programme supports the broader national vision of positioning the UAE as a global startup hub. More than 50 public and private sector entities are participating in the national initiative, which seeks to attract 10,000 entrepreneurs and create 30,000 new jobs by 2030.