The Emirates Center for Government Knowledge (ECGK) – part of the Mohammed bin Rashid School for Government (MBRSG) – has concluded the third edition of its Internal Management Consultant programme.

The course was conceived to address the challenges and opportunities faced by internal consultation practices at government institutions. It was designed to enhance capacities of local and federal government officials by introducing them to the international principles and best practices that will enable them to provide excellent consultancy services within their respective government departments.

Now in its third edition, the programme brought together 29 government officials, focusing on both theoretical and practical aspects of their work. The theoretical component included case studies and advanced academic content, whereas the practical element comprised a series of activities and tasks delivered by specialised trainers.

ECGK Director Sarah Talib said: “Offered by skilled professional trainers, the programme seeks to impart knowledge, experiences and best practices in order to qualify the national workforce. The goal is to raise attendees’ efficiency and improve their consultative work, which, in turn, will contribute to the sustainability of resources and practices within government institutions.”
 
“The programme has been established as a learning platform that brings together managerial and consultancy experts from practices across government entities for the exchange of knowledge derived from accumulated experience, and to explore the latest applications and consultation practices implemented locally and globally,” Talib added.

Meanwhile, Eng. Wissam Dabit, Certified Management Consultant and Resident Consultant at ECGK, said: “The newly-designed knowledge content of the third edition of the programme focused on the expansion of practical applications, which included providing relevant case studies and assigning real-world advisory tasks for current clients. The activities involved participants getting to grips with projects that extend beyond six weeks, which is consistent with the nature of the institutions where they work.”

“A specialised committee oversaw and evaluated the tasks, and measured the development of the participants’ performance to ensure that they have met the learning requirements, in order to officially certify them,” Dabit added. “Moving forward, we are looking to strengthen the Internal Management Consultant programme and to upgrade it to achieve global leadership by enhancing its competitiveness and impact within various working environments.”

For her part, Amani Mahmoud Zeidan, Certified Management Consultant and Resident Consultant at ECGK, said: “The programme highlighted the challenges of internal management consulting from a government perspective. It explained consultancy approach and thinking and highlighted the difference in functions of internal and external management consultants.”

Participant Noora Nusairi, Head of Planning and Development at Dubai Municipality, said: “The programme was an important learning resource for the government institutions that provide consultancy services. The exercises presented by the trainers reflected their extensive experience and knowledge of the working environment in the various governmental and private-sector bodies, which were shared through interactive activities. The diversity of the attendees’ roles facilitated the sharing of creative ideas and best practices, as incorporated within other government entities.”

Last but not least, Saeed Mohammed Al Shamsi from the HR department at the UAE Ministry of Defence said: “The importance of the programme was reflected in its focus on establishing the role of the internal consultant as a priority to ensure the sustainability and effectiveness of government operations, as opposed to the usual practice, which sees public and private sector accreditation for external consultation services.”

The Internal Management Consultant programme, which is the first-of-its-kind in the UAE, is supervised and implemented by the Center for Government Knowledge, which provides certificates to the trainees who have passed the evaluation stage, making them eligible to take part in other programmes, such as the Consultant Training Programme in the Government Excellence System.