Workforce Training Institute to train expats U.A.E law and their rights

The institute designed to educate expat employees, the country’s laws and informing them of their rights and duties was launched recently by a team comprising of four government departments. The Workforce Training Institute is currently in its preliminary stage of training Dubai’s blue collar workers, but by 2018, it is set to train expat employees across all sectors in the emirate.

The Workforce Training Institute was set up the ‘Orange Team,’ a group set up under the ‘City Makers’ initiative launched by Shaikh Hamdan Bin Mohammad Bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Crown Prince of Dubai, in December 2014. The initiative aims to bring together teams from across different government authorities to collaborate to develop innovative, integrated solutions for government. The Orange Team is a joint effort of four government departments, including Dubai Courts, Dubai Police, Permanent Committee for Labour Affairs (PCLA) and the Ministry of Human Resources and Emiratisation. Its primary mission is to follow-up on all the affairs of the expatriate workforce in the emirate.

Major General Obaid Muhair Bin Surour, Chairman of the Permanent Committee for Labour Affairs said, during a meeting with The Orange Team at the General Directorate of Residency and Foreigners Affairs Headquarters, that The Workforce Training Institute is one of the team’s most important initiatives. “Our aim was to create an institute to train all employees in the emirate of their rights and duties, while educating them of the country’s laws,” he said, adding that the initiative has been divided into three phases.

“Phase 1, which has already begun, is a preliminary stage to train workers in Dubai. The second phase, which is set to start in 2017, targets workers in the building and construction sector. The third phase, which will be compulsory, will be launched in 2018 and includes training of all employees in the emirate,” Bin Suroor, who is also the deputy director of the GDRFA, said.

“We aim to create a healthy work environment in Dubai, one which protects the workers’ rights and meets global standards,” he said, adding that the institute will ensure that workers in the emirate are not subjected to any kind of exploitation. “By knowing the country’s laws and what rights they have, employees can ensure they don’t fall prey to exploitation.

He also said that the institute will consult a number departments and organisations in the country, “making sure we benefit from the experiences of others in this area.”

Courses at the institute will be divided into three main subjects, all taught in a number of languages. One course will deal with defining the labour law, and explaining the unified contract and its terms and conditions. Another will deal with elaborating on the culture of the country and its social behaviour. The third will deal with occupational health and safety. “We will also be distributing material, such as leaflets, which will clearly state the country’s labour laws. Visits to labour accommodations will also be conducted with the purpose of training them,” Bin Suroor said.

Brigadier Dr Mohammad Abdullah Al Murr, Director of the Human Rights Department at Dubai Police, said the PCLA will take the reigns on executing the training initiative, with the collaboration of other departments involved. “The initial phase of the project aims to train more than 100,000 workers in the construction sector in the next 18 months,” he said.

Brig Dr Al Murr said the third phase of the institute, which will be launched in 2018, will be compulsory to all employees in the emirate. “It will be a two-day course covering everything from crisis and resource management to programmes of quality and excellence.”

“The training programs will be free, and will be compulsory to all employees in Dubai”

Workforce Training Institute

Phase 1: preliminary stage of training workers in Dubai
Phase 2: to start in 2017, will target workers in the construction sector
Phase 3: to start in 2018, will train all employees in the emirate 

Initial phase aims to train more than 100,000 workers in the next eighteen months

Courses at the institute will be divided into three main subjects.

One course will deal with defining the labour law, and explaining the unified contract and its terms and conditions.

Another will deal with elaborating on the culture of the country and its social behaviour.

The third will deal with occupational health and safety. “We will also be distributing material, such as leaflets, which will clearly state the country’s labour laws.