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Dubai’s ASGC expands worker training and development initiatives

Dubai-based contractor, ASGC, is expanding a number of its internal training and development initiatives to keep its growing workforce on the side of technological and engineering advancements.

Recent reports suggest that sentiment around the future of the UAE’s construction industry has improved year-on-year, with the Gulf’s largest construction markets determined to grow in 2018. At the same time, the UAE’s construction industry is rapidly evolving. The Fourth Industrial Revolution and digital automation are already
influencing the skills and types of jobs required of today’s workforce.

According to ASGC, this is creating a skills gap in the way that technical professionals across the region approach project planning, execution and supervision within the construction industry. Building on global best practices, the
company is therefore placing additional investments into a number of programs for continuous learning and development.

One of these is the ASGC Employee Academy which first launched in 2017 with the aim to provide young, talented construction professionals across each of the company’s departments with the education needed to help them progress more rapidly. Selected individuals participating in the academy program adopt their own ‘passion projects’ which include the development of ideas, innovations and technologies that enhance ASGC’s operations, processes and procedures — steering the organisation towards boosting efficiency and growth.

In addition, the company has recently launched an ASGC Labour Academy, which is an independent facility owned by ASGC and is fully equipped for all kind of trade & HSE trainings. The academy is now operational and is upskilling more than 200 workers per month covering various trades with a target to reach the full capacity of
400 plus trained workers per month by the end of 2018. It also hosts various HSE trainings in line with the projects requirements.

The aim of the Labour Academy is to provide development programs that improve the capabilities and skills of ASGC’s workforce while at the same time opening doors to career progression.

In the area of academia, ASGC has also bolstered its Post-Graduate Education program, which have been running for several years. Under this program, ASGC covers the cost of the post-graduate degree tuition fees—whether it is in
engineering, finance, HR or other related fields.

Bishoy Azmy, CEO of ASGC, said: “As the UAE transitions towards a knowledge-based economy, the construction field is also evolving so that projects can be done smarter and more efficiently than ever before. Across the industry, this means a shift in skill sets required. It is our responsibility to ensure that the workforce of the future not only has the necessary skills for employment, but the ability to make a meaningful contribution to the wider community.”

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