Etisalat Academy... The can-do organization

It seems strange that in times of economic downturn, during which companies need the best qualifications to carry on success or to survive, the first thing they think of cutting down on is training. Etisalat looks to do things differently.

The Etisalat Academy is positioned in the market to fill in the gap between traditional schooling and  professional life by providing trainingprograms to include Telecom, IT,  Business, HR Consulting and Assessments.

David Brennan, the newly appointed head of the Etisalat Academy answered some of our questions vis a vis the challenges facing the Etisalat Academy and its future strategic plans.

You moved to head up the Etisalat Academy three months ago.  What are your impressions?

Well, I think I'm lucky.

Firstly, the Academy is an outstanding facility that gives us considerable leverage in this market.

No other training provider can offer a 1 million square feet facility with 60 training rooms, three hostels with 260 good quality rooms, an auditorium for 280 people, an on-site mosque, a recreation centre that has everything from a football field to squash courts to men's and ladies' gyms to indoor basketball.

When you consider we also take a monitored quality approach to delivery, it's exciting. It's complete and offers enormous opportunity.

Secondly, being a company in the Etisalat Group gives direct access to 18 countries. Accordingly, we deliver across all markets. This is a strong value proposition for companies wanting a single source provider with extensive reach.

You mentioned opportunity and reach, but isn't the Etisalat Academy just a telecom training company?

That's a common misconception. It's true that no other organisation can match us for technical training - everything from fibre optics to switching and the new playing field of IT based telecommunications. I'm very happy that our brand is unmatched in this arena.

Yet, we do so much more. For example, the Academy offers an extensive business training suite, over 100 titles that cover sales, strategy, accounting, customer service, supervision, and communications. And a number of these courses are certified.

We are exclusive providers of easyLearning, in partnership with Serebra. This is over 2,000 e-learning courses that can be accessed on low-platform computers and are designed for the G77 developing countries.

They are low cost (less than USD $15 each) and bundle into certificates. Graduates can bid for jobs in an online global marketplace, giving developing countries access to untapped opportunities.

The Academy offers also HR assessment service.  We can undertake recruitment or leadership assessments or use a wide range of psychometric tools to support business.

We do this in partnership with world leading providers, together with our own psychological team. Of course, you can also leave the economic turmoil behind and be a member of our recreation centre too.

I realise it is early days for you in this role, but do you have plans for new markets or services?

Absolutely.  In terms of markets, we will continue to enter or consolidate our presence in MENA and Western Asia.  Our task is to leverage our competitive advantage of technical learning into other industries with products and services related to that industry.

However, I see fruitful opportunities for the Academy in South-East Asia and into Eastern Europe.  I'm particularly keen to secure more temperate climates that offset the slower summer months here in the Middle East.

What we offer will also expand.

Half of my career has been spent in Australian Government and I have a global government network. I want that knowledge to benefit this region and its people.

The Academy will offer a suite of government solutions that range from strategic policy development to assessing performance of departments and from leadership development to supporting specific agency work. We can be an effective window into the world for GCC governments.

Executive development will expand.  This will be in two streams. One is purpose-built development opportunities, such as formalised leadership and executive team programs, and facilitation work, particularly around strategy.

The second stream is through key knowledge events, for example, bringing in leading world thinkers.

The Academy can also play a role in national capacity development. We can easily be a conduit for private companies developing UAE Nationals, but also work with Government agencies on effective entry programs and specific leadership skilling.

We're already doing that for Shaja Tanmia and for Abu Dhabi Police.

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