New criteria for DHDA announced

The Department of Economic Development yesterday announced new criteria for the Dubai Human Development Award (DHDA), covering commitment, process and results of the initiatives taken by companies towards developing national human resources.

"The new criteria have been revised to develop the capabilities of national human resources and to provide adequate employment opportunities for them.

Companies participating in the award must ensure that they emphasise the role of nationals in the future of the UAE by means of intensive training and guidance," said Essa Kazim, Co-ordinator General of the Dubai Quality Award and Director General of the Dubai Financial Market (DFM).

"The success achieved by the national population is a true measure of a country's growth and progress. One of our chief priorities at the department is to initiate and support programmes that enable our national youth to make extensive use of their potential in environments that promote their development," said Kazim.

"We have always believed that there is an imperative need to work together with the private sector in this context. The Dubai Human Development Award is one such initiative that seeks to maximise private sector participation in national human resource development," he added.

The DHDA, which aims to encourage the private sector to actively participate in the development of UAE nationals, was first launched by the department last year.

The first-time winners of the award were honoured in three categories alongside the presentation of the Dubai Quality Award.

The new criteria has been formulated by a 10-member advisory board comprising experts in human resources and chaired by Salem Al Zubaidi, senior human resource manager, HSBC.

The members include Mohammed Malek of Majed Al Futtaim, Ahmed Ali of Dubal, Husam Al Sayed of Enoc, Aaref Al Sayed Kazim of ABN Amro Bank, Essa Kazim, Ali Al-Ansari of Dubai Bank, in addition to Fuad Sharaf, Yasir Al Muqbel and Dabhya Buti Al Suwaidi of the Department of Economic Development.

The award aims at promoting awareness and understanding of the need to develop UAE nationals, encouraging private sector participation in this development, acknowledging and rewarding distinguished efforts by the private sector in this connection, encouraging the private sector to offer development and training services and conducting and publishing relevant research.

All private companies and establishments registered with the department or the Free Zone authorities in Dubai are eligible to take part in the award according to the size of the organisation.

The economic sectors have been classified under seven categories that include financial, trading, manufacturing, services, construction, professional and tourism.

September 30 has been set as a deadline for receiving entries.

"The objective of the DHDA is not only to guarantee greater numbers of national recruitment in the private sector but to ensure that nationals are provided with an adequate climate of growth and development within the organisation," said Fuad Mansoor Sharaf, Head of Quality and Productivity Centre and Co-ordinator General of the DHDA.

"The award model evaluates the submission according to the commitment, process and results of the initiatives taken by the company toward developing national human resources."

Commitment, which is accorded 20 per cent of the score, is further evaluated on the leadership, policies and strategies implemented and the succession plan.

Leaders are expected to create an environment of empowerment, innovation, employee learning and performance enhancement among the national workforce in addition to monitoring them.

The process and results are each given 40 per cent of the score with the process being assessed according to the company's potential to attract, retain, develop and train national employees.

Results are evaluated according to the increasing numbers of nationals in the company, their response to the training schemes and the levels of satisfaction experienced by them.

Applicants for the award are also required to supply company employment statistics for three years in order to enable assessors to evaluate actual results.

"The new DHDA criteria have been formulated so that companies applying for the award will have to review their long term human resources and manpower planning policies and ensure that adequate emiratisation schemes have been incorporated within them," added Sharaf.

"In addition, a company is expected to have a dedicated training and development team with clear objectives pertinent to the development of UAE nationals."

The Department also released a brochure detailing the various aspects of the new DHDA model that was formulated after extensive deliberations between the advisory committee and assessors of last year's award and feedback from the participants.