Business & Money | Thursday 3 May, 2018 9:44 am |

The close and long-standing economic bonds between Sharjah and Singapore have been underscored once again, following a business and skills fact-finding mission to some of the island state’s largest public and private sector agencies by 30 members of the Sharjah Leadership Programme (SLP).

The presence of the SLP participants, an initiative to strengthen professional skills and growth potential and reinforce the emirate’s human resources, highlighted the substantial investment ties Singapore and the UAE share, which in 2016 were valued at $4.1 billion in non-oil trade and more than $4.9 billion overall.

With direct investments into the UAE from Singapore valued at $2.2 billion and return to trade to Singapore worth $2.7 billion by the end of 2015, the SLP contingent played a role as both business ambassadors and intelligence gatherers as they gained first-hand industry insights from one of the world’s most successful economies, and one of the UAE’s key business partners in South East Asia.

In line with its mission of tailor-made experiences, Sharjah for Capability Development (SCD) – a subsidiary of the Rubu’ Qarn Foundation for Creating Leaders and Innovators – organised the field-visit for the 10th SLP intake to a range of organisations across sectors such as health, government, tourism, research, the environment, communications and media.

The Emirati attendees spent the first five days of their ten-day expedition at the Island State’s branch of INSEAD, one of the world's leading and largest graduate business schools, spanning Europe, the Middle East and Asia, with a renowned faculty of 145 members from 40 countries.

The majority of participants also visited the nation’s SkillsFuture Centre, which shares many of SLP’s values in developing an individual’s fullest potential throughout life, and instilling the skills and passion to drive the next phase of development towards an advanced economy and inclusive society.

In order to make the most beneficial use their time in Singapore, the party grouped into their specialised fields and spent time with the relevant state and private sector organisations.

Three of the participants spent their initial field-trip at the National University Hospital, where they gained experience of the Island’s highly-respected health vision of providing better and more cost-effective care through nurturing the next generation of healthcare professionals, world class research and empowering people to take ownership of their health.

Ten others, specialising in the transport industry, joined personnel from the Land Transport Authority to gain an oversight of the planning, designing, building and maintenance of Singapore’s land transport infrastructure and systems and the plans to bring about a greener public transport system, and encouraging more walking and cycling.

Fourteen members of the delegation with a focus on both education and business visited the National University of Singapore Enterprise, which plays a pivotal role in advancing innovation and entrepreneurship. The participants took on board the model of how academic learning and hands-on entrepreneurial experiences can act as a catalyst to corporate success.

With both Sharjah and Singapore having such a vested interest in travel and tourism, seven of the SLP mission met with officials from the Singapore Tourism Board. Singapore’s roots as a small fishing town, inhabited by an indigenous settlement bears striking similarities to Sharjah’s own humble beginnings.
Having been voted the most tourist-friendly destination in South-East Asia, the experience gained from the Singaporean International Relations Team was invaluable in terms of bringing back strategic concepts to reinforce Sharjah’s own mission to become a leading global destination in its own right.

The Asia Research Institute was visited by everyone on the tour, who appreciated the impact of support for doctoral and postdoctoral research through conferences, workshops, seminars and study groups, giving them all an extra perspective on Sharjah’s own emphasis and ambitions in the field of research.

Four of the group with specific environmental interests visited the Singapore National Environment Agency, where they met with key figures to compare common challenges and the initiatives to combat them, including maintaining high standards of public health, improving and sustaining a clean environment and working with private sector partners and the community at large to reach their goals.

Another four participants travelled to the Ministry of Health, where they broadened their knowledge of an online health portal and mobile app, providing the public with easy access to information and services to increase health awareness and allow them to check their key medical records and appointments.

Eight individuals visited The Singapore National Archives as part of their own area of expertise, exploring the various methods, media and formats that Singapore uses to record and display its historical documents and heritage.

More than half of the delegation attended the Public Services Division of the Prime Minister’s Office to gain insights in the country’s state employment sector, the breadth of the organisational structure and the practices in recruiting and maintaining standards of public servants.

A large contingent gathered at the Government Technology Agency of Singapore, and the Info-Comm Media Development Authority, a reflection of Sharjah’s ambitions and actions to build a fully-integrated digital society, connecting a smart government to its citizens. Due to its sweeping effects across the entire economy and community, the members of the SLP came from a wide cross-section of specialisations.

The vast majority of the delegation also met at the Singapore headquarters of the global engineering firm Meinhardt, which will be working with Abu Dhabi’s Department of Energy and its sector companies to establish a World Class Water Capability Development Centre in the UAE.

Jassem Al Blooshi, Member of the Board of Trustees of Rubu' Qarn Foundation for Creating Leaders and Innovators, said: “One of the main goals of the Sharjah Leadership Programme is to ensure its participants are given the very best opportunities to gain knowledge and experience in their respective fields from the most advanced and efficient global organisations.

“The field-visit to Singapore introduced the delegation to some new and exciting concepts, practices and innovations which they will be able to apply in their own specialised areas in the future and take Sharjah to a level where it will not only put these insights into action but become a pioneer for others to learn from.”

The Sharjah Leadership Program is one of the most significant pioneering national programmes that invests in young leaders, hones their skills, nurtures their talents, develops their capabilities and expands their expertise, through providing them with training courses, hands-on practices and field visits. It allows them to understand and explore the dynamic nature of markets, enabling them to be more creative and achieve yet more excellence, enhancing the stature of the UAE in a wide array of sectors.

So far, 380 young Emiratis in the 25-35 years age group graduated from the program. The focus of SLP has always been on instilling determination and persistence in them, as well as fostering a love of knowledge and education in their hearts. The program has given them access to latest management systems and to institutions of the highest repute. Being exposed to these professional settings has elevated their experiences in the professional arena.