Dubai Police has become the first local government department to announce that it will set up an online quality management college at Knowledge Village.

The e-TQM (total quality management) faculty will offer on-line training courses targeted at public sector employees across the Arab world. Dubai Police's total quality department is tying up with the European Centre for Total Quality Management and a U.S.-based institution to frame the relevant programmes.

The launch should take place within the year.

Dubai Police has already taken 1,500 square feet of temporary office space at Dubai Internet City.

Negotiations are on regarding the final details of the project, including the financial aspects, officials added.

"This project is for the whole Arabic world and not just for the UAE or the Gulf countries. When the total quality department was established three years ago, it was given the task of the dissemination of quality culture in the national, Gulf and Arab arenas," said Major General Dhahi Khalfan Tamim, commander-in-chief of Dubai Police. He will also be the president of e-TQM College.

The department has already built up a sizeable user base - said to be in the thousands - for its existing quality-related courses.

"Quality is what the whole world is moving into. This venture aims at moving the quality culture beyond borders, and our first target would be the Arabic world's public sector. The sky is the limit for the project," said Dr. Mansoor Al Awar, director of the total quality department.

Courses costs will range from Dh100 onwards, added Al Awar.

"The first stage will take three years in which academic courses and training programmes will be provided separately. In the second, courses will be reorganised and classified into specific majors in the field of TQM, where clients can obtain a diploma certificate at the end of their studies," he added.

DIC will be the 'facilitator' for the Knowledge Village enterprise, confirmed Ahmed bin Byat, DIC chief executive.

"We will facilitate our services and technology to the different knowledge providers. The move by Dubai Police is a very clear indication that various government departments require e-learning in parallel with the e-government initiatives.

"While the concept of Knowledge Village has already been announced, the physical facilities would be ready by the second quarter of next year. That does not mean it would be another year before the services are available.

"We already have several companies interested in the project taking up temporary offices here. Some of them could be offering their programmes even before the actual need to move into Knowledge Village," bin Byat said.

For Dubai Police, DIC will extend hosting services at its data centre; hardware and software, and e-learning solutions.