THE LAUNCH OF ADWEA ACADEMY - MOTIVATION

The water and electricity sector faces advancing technology, rapid changes, global competition and rising expectations in service delivery. Abu Dhabi Water and Electricity Authority (ADWEA) has reacted to such challenges by dedicating significant budget for training and development of its employees in order to enable its group of companies to reach their strategic goals.

As a large organization with diversified business activities, ADWEA’s employees have to be trained and up-to-date on their job functions, industry trends, and the latest technology. ADWEA companies now require enhanced skills, broader skills, and some new skills in order to achieve their business targets. In particular, there has been a greater requirement for those business-related skills required to operate effectively in a commercial environment such as business/financial management, customer care and service skills. At the same time, on the technical side, there is a need to focus on developing multi-skilled engineers, and on developing and acquiring advanced engineering skills as new technologies are introduced.

To address ADWEA training and personal development needs, ADWEA Academy was established in 2009 in order to provide the educational and the training resources necessary to support the organization's strategic and tactical goals, as well as to preserve and communicate ADWEA's vision, values and brand.  More specifically, ADWEA Academy has been created to act as the primary vehicle for delivering the training and skills development needed to help ADWEA’s staff deliver the business’s strategic objectives.

The purpose of ADWEA Academy is to provide an ongoing skills review evidencing the current workforce's skills' requirements and gaps with the eventual aim being to develop and deliver a curricula that fills these performance and growth gaps. The Academy, through its partnership with reputable international universities and training providers, aims to provide learning and development solutions that are industry renowned and based on best practice from some of the world's leading organizations from around the world.

   NEW TRAINING CULTURE

ADWEA Academy has been established to improve the training and personal development practices in ADWEA and its group of companies by focusing on the following changes:

• Moving away from training driven by individual’s needs to what the organization needs.
• Moving away from single shot skill sets to behaviors.
• Having structured training programs rather than single instances that don’t repeat.
• Ensuring the alignment to performance management rather than a series of ‘tick boxes’.
• Building capability rather than just training the ‘fast trackers’.
• Moving HR from an administrative, listening support to a wise counsel facilitator.
• Planning ahead rather than meeting spending budgets.
• Optimizing the training resources that currently exist.
• Moving towards a more systematic approach for career development, particularly picking up on those with high potential for leadership roles.
• Developing people appropriately according to their potential and aspirations at all levels.
• Developing a culture of performance at all levels.
• Selecting the right people for the right courses particularly for those currently in leadership and management roles.
• Identifying what skills are required for every post and linking them to courses, to enable line managers and individuals to select courses which closely meet their needs.

In addition, ADWEA Academy has contributed significantly to enhance the training and personal development experience within ADWEA and its group of companies by introducing the following:

• Reputable international Training Providers.
• Training plans based on real “Training Need Assessment”.
• High quality training that focuses on content customization.
• ADWEA’s Co-Instructors to facilitate delivery of engineering programs.
• Certified Technician and Professional Programs.
• Training Certificates from reputable International Universities.
• Training unites accumulated toward academic degrees (starting 2011).
• Customized training courses and programs that suit ADWEA business environment.
• Performance monitoring and reporting.
• Web-based Training Portal linked to ADWEA’s HRMS system.

   THE ACADEMY

The Academy consists of the following schools and departments:

Business School

• Department of Management and Accounting
• Department of Supply Chain and Procurement
• Department of Human Resource Management
• Department of Project Management
• Department of Marketing and Client Service Management
• Leadership and Personal Development School
• Department of Leadership Development
• Department of Personal Development

Engineering School

• Department of Systems Engineering
• Department of Health, Safety, and Human Factors
• Department of Water Engineering
• Department of Waste Water Engineering
• Department of Process Engineering
• Department of Transmission and Supply Support
• Department of Electrical Power and Distribution
• Department of Engineering Management
• Department of Computational Engineering
• Department of Renewable & Future Engineering

Training Portal

• ADWEA Academy has a dedicated Portal that serves as a single-stop portal for all training functions including registration, course management, course evaluation & assessment, and performance monitoring.
• The first deployed version of the Portal has the basic registration and course management functionalities such as Course Overviews, Course Catalogue, Registration Template, Course Planner, Logistics Helpdesk, Joining Instructions, Password Management, and Technical Support.
• ADWEA Academy Portal is integrated with ADWEA HRMS to automate the process of course selection and approval.  In addition, the Portal has a smart engine that maps the necessary skills of every post in ADWEA’s organizational structure to the list of offered courses in order to guide the course selection process for all employees.

   2009 ACHIEVEMENTS

• ADWEA Academy was established on January 1st 2009.
• Delivering Training Courses in ADWEA Academy commenced on March 15th, 2009.
• Total Training Course Offered = 215 Course
• Courses Delivered in Abu Dhabi = 107 Course
• Courses Delivered in Al Ain = 52 Course
• Courses Delivered in Dubai = 56 Course
• Total Training Days = 740 Day
• Total Number of Registration = 4183 Registration
• Total Number of Employees Registered in ADWEA Academy = 2,176 Employees
• Total Training Days Attended by All Registered Employees = 14,703 Day
• Number of Instructors Hosted by ADWEA Academy =  82 Instructor
• Number of Pages Delivered as Training Material = More than 1,000,000 Pages
• Training Venues were reserved in 22 Hotels
• Average Overall Evaluation for the Delivered Courses= 94%

   TRAINING PROGRAMS (2010 Plan)

ADWEA Academy will offer more than 110 different training programs in 2010 distributed among different schools as shown below:

• Business School:  26
• Leadership & PD School:  27
• Engineering School Courses: 42
• Courses Delivered in Arabic: 8
• Integrated Management Systems Programs:  2
• Certified Programs: 5
• Engineering School
• Introduction to Systems Engineering
• Lifecycle Management
• Introduction to Human Factors Integration
• Water and Wastewater Treatment Principles
• Risk Management and Reliability Engineering
• Membrane Technology (including Desalination)
• Biological Processes for Water Treatment
• Pumps and Pumping Systems for the Water Industry
• Engineering Hydraulics for Treatment Works
• Control Systems
• Advanced Control Systems
• Reduction & Control of Non-revenue Water
• Network Operation & Maintenance & Optimization
• Flow Measurement Methods
• Advanced Flow Measurement Methods
• Specification and Performance of Mechanical and Electrical Rotating Equipment
• Modeling and Simulation of Electromechanical Systems
• Industrial Control of Electrical and Electronic Systems
• Introduction to Electrical Engineering
• Advanced Electrical Engineering
• Electric Power and Distribution Systems: Technical Aspects of Electrical Components
• Electric Power and Distribution Systems: Power Transmissions Systems Safety
• Cost Engineering
• Power System Components and Modeling
• FACTS: Models, Controls & Applications
• Power Systems Analysis
• Asset Management & Risk Assessment in Power Systems
• Electromagnetic Compatibility & Power Quality
• Power System Economic Operations & Planning
• Industrial Utilization of Electrical Energy
• Engineering for Non-Engineering Senior Managers in the Utility Industry
• GIS Fundamentals
• Modeling Water Distribution Networks with EPANET
• Conservation & Reuse
• Environmental Management
• Renewable Energy Systems
• Energy Management for Industry
• Future Influences on the Technology of Utilities
• The Technological Challenge of Renewable Sources of Energy Production
• Machine Vibration Monitoring
• Managing Condition-based Maintenance
• Business School
• Cost Accounting Techniques
• Budgeting and Short Term Decision Making
• Financial Accounting Fundamentals for the Non-Practitioner
• Financial Reporting
• Strategic Planning
• Analyzing and Interpreting Financial Statements
• Strategic Management Fundamentals
• Operations Management Fundamentals
• Financial Performance Management
• Purchasing Management
• Designing Service Level Agreements
• Warehouse Operations Management
• Legal Aspects of Material Management
• Inventory Management
• Setting Up and Using Asset Management Systems
• Introduction to Procurement Tools and Techniques
• Managing Tenders
• Awarding Contracts
• Managing Contracts and Contractual Relationships
• HR Strategy Fundamentals
• Manpower Planning
• Managing Diversity
• HR Performance Management
• Introductory Project Management
• Intermediate Project Management
• Customer Service Excellence
• Leadership and Personal Development School
• Appraisal Skills- Maintaining a Healthy ADWEA Workforce
• Building High Performance Teams- Sustaining ADWEA's Vision, Values and Mission
• Coaching for Success- Managing Team Performance
• Effective Delegation- Getting it Right!
• Lead, Inspire and Focus- An Introduction to Leadership and Management
• Leading with Emotional Intelligence
• Women as Leaders- Inspiring Women at ADWEA Towards Professional Success
• Business Accelerator
• The Role of the ADWEA Manager
• Leading Your Team Through Change
• Recruitment and Selection Skills- Attracting and Retaining Talent
• Emotional Intelligence At Work
• Handling Difficult Situations and Managing Conflict
• Powers of Persuasion
• Negotiation Skills
• Effective and Assertive Communication
• Networking
• Understanding Yourself and Others
• Neuro Linguistic Programming
• Creating the impact you want
• Effective Presentations
• Making Meetings Matter
• Decision Making
• Performing Under Pressure
• Prioritization and Time Management
• Business Report Writing Skills
• Setting and Achieving Goals
• Certified Technician Programs
•  Substation Maintenance Technician
•  Medium-Voltage Cable Technician
•  Low-Voltage Circuit Breaker Maintenance Technician
• Integrated Management System Certification Programs
•  IMS Awareness Course
•  IMS Internal Audit Course
• Courses Delivered in Arabic
• Time Management
• Stress Management
• Presentation Skills
• Negotiation Skills
• Finance for Non Finance Staff
• Customer Service
• Customer Satisfaction
• HR Strategic Planning
• Professional Certification Programs
• Certificate in Purchasing and Supply - UK
• Project Management Professional (PMP) - US

   TRAINING PROVIDERS

1. Reading University - UK

• Ranked as one of the UK’s 10 most research-intensive universities and as one of the top 200 universities in the world.
• World-class reputation for teaching, research and enterprise.
• Important achievements include being the first university to win the Queen’s Award for Export Achievement (1989) and twice receiving the Queen’s Anniversary Prize for Higher Education (1998 and 2006).
• Broad portfolio of full- and part-time degree programs covers the arts, humanities, sciences and social sciences.
• Offer courses and research in the specialist areas of agriculture, construction management, horticulture, cybernetics, meteorology, real estate and typography, where there are few other national providers.

2. Henley Business School - UK

• One of the most reputable Europe's largest full-service business schools, also one of the very few international business schools to hold triple accredited status from the major US, European and UK bodies (AMBA, EQUIS, AACSB).
• Henley Business School comprises five internationally renowned Schools:
• Economics - A leading centre for international business research
• Management- Home to the world-ranked Henley MBA
• Real Estate & Planning - UK's largest centre for real estate education & research
• ICMA Centre - The business school for financial markets
• Executive Education- World-class open and tailored executive programs

3. Cranfield University – Engineering School - UK

• Cranfield is a wholly postgraduate university with an international community and a truly global reputation. It is ranked third in the UK for the impact of its mechanical, aeronautical and manufacturing research by the Research Assessment Exercise (RAE).
• The School of Engineering is dedicated to carrying out focused fundamental research and applying it to meet the needs of society and industry. The School runs a wide range of Masters, Doctoral and professional development courses and carries out extensive technology development and consultancy for a diverse customer base.
• The Engineering School at Cranfield offers a wide range of MSc courses and a Preliminary Year program, combined with a very large suite of continuing professional development courses. The School also runs comprehensive PhD and EngD programs with opportunities for research across a wide portfolio of subjects.

4. University of Waterloo – Canada

• The University of Waterloo is one of Canada’s leading comprehensive universities with 28,000 full- and part-time students in undergraduate and graduate programs.
• It was founded in 1957 and is currently ranked as the best Engineering School in Canada and as one of the top 27th Universities worldwide.
• In 2010, Waterloo University will deliver several electrical engineering training courses from the training plan of ADWEA Academy. In addition, Waterloo University will continue delivering the Higher Diploma in Advance Management Program for ADWEA’s employees.

5. Hult International Business School – UK

• Founded in 1964, Hult Intrnational Business School provides an enduring business education to students from all over the world. It offers MBA, Master and Undergraduate degrees with a business focus.
• In recognition of the business school's global network of campuses, diverse student body, and world-class faculty, Hult is ranked among the Financial Times’ Top 100 business schools.
• In 2010, Hult International Business School will partner with ADWEA Academy to deliver several Leadership and Personal Development Courses in Arabic language.

6. AVO Training Institute – USA

• AVO Training Institute is the premiere, world-wide leader in electrical training services.
• AVO Training Institute is the world's No. 1 choice for electrical maintenance and safety training, electrical engineering studies, and electrical safety solutions.
• AVO specializes in electrical safety training and training in the maintenance and testing of all types of electrical equipment including circuit breakers, protective relays, transformers, substations, switchgear, batteries, cables, etc.
• Founded in 1963 and ISO 9001 certified since 1996, over 230,000 electrical maintenance and testing technicians and engineers from around the world have attended their training courses.
• In 2010, AVO Training Institute will partner with ADWEA Academy to deliver the Certified Technician Programs.

7.  Bureau Veritas – France

• Since its foundation in 1828, the Bureau Veritas Group has consistently built recognized expertise, helping companies comply with standards and regulations relating to Quality, Health & Safety, Environment and Social Responsibility.
• With 80,000 clients in more than 100 countries, delivering over 100,000 certificates, Bureau Veritas Certification (formerly BVQI) is the world's leading certification body that provides companies with a comprehensive range of certification and auditing services from public standards to more customized schemes, in the fields of Quality, Health, Safety, Environment, and Social Responsibility (QHSE-SR).
• ADWEA Academy has partnered with Bureau Veritas to deliver the Integrated Management System awareness and auditing programs in 2010 Training Plan.