Programme launched to teach employees about UAE culture

Dubai: Staff working at several UAE-based companies and institutions will get the chance to learn more about Emirati heritage, customs and culture following the launch of a bespoke Cultural Awareness Presentation programme.

The programme launched by the Shaikh Mohammad Centre for Cultural Understanding (SMCCU) will target both business professionals and visiting business delegations from overseas by providing them with cultural insights and business etiquette tips through seminars.

Keynote speakers from notable Dubai-based businesses and various industry professionals will attend the presentations.

Operating under the centre’s philosophy and motto ‘Open Doors. Open Minds’, the centre strives to raise awareness and demystify the local culture, customs and religion of the UAE.

Nasif Kayed, managing director, SMCCU, said: “Our forefathers built Dubai with the vision of welcoming traders from around the world to settle and seek economic opportunities while peacefully coexisting with our local communities. Today this tradition continues on a scale many of us would find hard to believe only a few decades back.”

He said that through these seminars “we can provide professionals with a better understanding of our culture. Knowing the culture of a country brings people together. It not only opens minds but also opens doors to many opportunities”.

In the past 15 years SMCCU has hosted several thousands of employees, executives, CEOs and companies.

Corporates can conduct in-house cultural training for their employees, which can take place at various venues around UAE, including their own offices, as well as at SMCCU’s traditional Emirati house in the Al Fahidi Historic District.