The Dubai Future Foundation (DFF), in partnership with The Executive Council of Dubai, announced the second batch of participants in the Dubai Future Experts Program, which includes upper and middle managers from 18 Government entities in Dubai across 10 sectors, including health, media, aviation, education, culture, tourism, economy, technology and infrastructure.

The Program, launched in December 2020 by His Highness Sheikh Hamdan bin Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Crown Prince of Dubai, Chairman of The Executive Council of Dubai and Chairman of the Board of Trustees of DFF, spans over six months and comprises three levels, mainly: Future Analyst, Future Practitioner and Future Strategist.

His Excellency Abdulla Al Basti, Secretary General of The Executive Council of Dubai, His Excellency Khalfan Belhoul, CEO of DFF, and several high-level government officials attended the announcement.

Created by the Dubai Future Academy in cooperation with global experts, the curriculum focuses on building capacities in forecasting and designing the future of strategic sectors as well as devising legislation and policies to keep pace with emerging trends.

His Excellency Abdulla Al Basti said that lunching the second cohort signifies a new step in empowering national talent and enhancing future readiness. He added; “The program embodies His Highness Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice President and Prime Minister of the UAE and Ruler of Dubai’s vision and the directives of His Highness Sheikh Hamdan bin Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum to equip government personnel with future knowledge and skills to participate in shaping the future of the emirate.”

He emphasized the importance of the program in enabling participants to improve performance and readiness of their respective departments for upcoming changes and participate in accelerating Dubai’s journey towards future leadership.

On his part, His Excellency Khalfan Belhoul reaffirmed the Dubai Future Foundations keenness to build national competencies across all fields and engage employees in developing innovative solutions to future challenges, thus consolidating Dubai’s position as a global hub for pioneering ideas. He added that the Dubai Future Experts Program creates a pool of verified futurists from diverse strategic sectors that can forecast the future of the emirate.

As part of the selection process, the applicants underwent a set of interactive tests to examine their creative thinking and decision-making skills. In addition, a specialized jury conducted one-on-one virtual interviews to assess the potential of the candidates to boost the performance of government departments.

The participants will attend a series of workshops and lectures, where they learn to identify and apply the principles of shaping the future, manage future-oriented projects, and develop future leadership initiatives.

Meanwhile, members of the first cohort from eight government entities in Dubai have reached the second stage of the program that involves devising a roadmap for the future of their respective government entities in line with the objectives of the UAE Centennial 2071.