UPSKILLING INITIATIVES IN THE UAE

Marc Ellis initiative: Upskilling talent in the UAE

Marc Ellis recently launched a new initiative called Marc

Ellis Training Academy to offer a range of courses to support the upskilling of UAE residents who have faced redundancy, or the prospect of redundancy or who simply want to use the current time to develop new skillsets.

Aws Esmail, general manager, Marc Ellis UAE and Zaid Al Hiali, regional director, said they had noticed through their helpline launched recently that many applicants were willing to work in new industries or saw this as an opportunity to move into new careers. “Coming from a recruitment background, we are aware that employers tend to look for people with experience or knowledge in a certain field before hiring, and this means a lot of people find it extremely difficult to switch careers. To support those people, we decided to reach out to our network and asked professionals who are willing to spend some of their time to provide coaching/training sessions as a way to support the job hunters during these difficult times”, Esmail said.

Sharing skills by making time for others

Within a week of the launch, courses for Microsoft Word and Microsoft Excel for beginners were conducted, providing a two-hour training session for around 25 to 30 people each time, via the Zoom platform. The course was conducted by a professional technology project manager who was willing to give up some time to help people.

Esmail said, “We decided to create a platform which would make it easier for people to register their attendance to multiple courses and once again reached out to our network for their support. This time, over 40 professionals/ coaches were willing to provide some of their time to provide training sessions around their specific domains, from Leadership, Management, Business Development, Marketing and Human Resources, all the way to more specific courses around some of the latest technologies including Data Analytics, Robotic Process Automation, Artificial Intelligence, Blockchain, Web Development, Graphic Design and so on.”

Esmail said, “The kindness of people is truly showing by the number of professionals whom have registered their interest to support this initiative absolutely free of charge.”