Dubai: Dubai Future Foundation (DFF) has received more than 800 applications for the third batch of the Dubai Future Experts Programme. Employees across 37 Dubai government entities have submitted applications to join the programme after it was launched in June 2021 by Sheikh Hamdan bin Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Crown Prince of Dubai and Chairman of The Executive Council of Dubai and Chairman of the Board of Trustees at DFF.
Applicants include senior and middle managers and specialists in strategic design and future foresight across the public sector. They work across more than 20 diverse areas, including government services, logistics, economy, technology, health, education, tourism and aerospace, among others. Women constituted 57 per cent of the applicants, with around 95 per cent of female applicants aged 25-45 years.
A special joint committee between the Executive Council of Dubai and DFF will evaluate the applications and select up to 30 entrants. Participants of the Dubai Future Experts Programme will acquire future skills and tools over two phases, each of which runs for six months. They will progress from the “Future Analyst” level in phase one to “Future Practitioner” in phase two. The programme’s third batch is scheduled to start in September.
Saeed Al Gergawi, Head of Dubai Future Academy at DFF, said: “Through the Dubai Future Experts Programme, Dubai Future Foundation aims to promote skills such as future foresight and design across all government entities and future sectors. The programme implements Sheikh Hamdan’s directives to enhance Dubai government’s performance and future-proof the public sector. It also underlines Dubai’s position as a global leader in developing future plans and strategies and implementing effective, state-of-the-art government practices.”
He added: “These Emirati talents will boost the efficiency of government work and help to innovate new mechanisms that can accelerate the implementation of future plans and support sustainable development in the UAE. Future experts in government entities will also work on mapping potential future scenarios to help forecast change and prepare for it effectively.”
Future design
Dubai Future Experts Programme develops skills such as strategic thinking, social intelligence, project management and future foresight and shaping. It also builds capabilities in the scientific, cultural and technological sectors, as well as in decision-making, policy development, legislation and regulation. Participants learn how to leverage tools to identify opportunities and create new economic sectors in the UAE.
The programme, developed in partnership between the Executive Council of Dubai and DFF, aims to empower and equip a network of talented Emirati futurists across the government sector with the tools and skills to design and create a promising future for Dubai and the UAE.
