The Dubai Government Human Resources Department (DGHR) successfully organised a series of ‘Co-creation sessions’ under the ‘Design Phase,’ the second stage of its transformative initiative ‘Talent 2033’. Aimed at advancing strategic workforce planning and futureproofing Dubai’s national and expat workforce in the public and private sectors. The initiative seeks to strengthen Dubai’s position as a global leader in attracting, nurturing and retaining talent and fostering exceptional intellect.

These interactive sessions form an integral part of the DGHR’s ongoing efforts to develop interventions to future-proof Dubai’s talent. The Department has adopted an approach of engaging relevant stakeholders in designing the pertinent solutions to address talent related challenges.  Building upon the success of previous initiatives, such as the ‘Idea Hackathon,’ these sessions provide a platform to enrich the proposed interventions with relevant feedback. The initial round of the ‘Co-Creation Sessions’ focused on conceptualising proposed projects, while the subsequent round evaluated their feasibility, validity and implementation outlook.

H.E. Abdullah Ali Bin Zayed Al-Falasi, Director General of DGHR’s Department, highlighted the significance of ‘Co-Creation Sessions’ within the broader context of the ‘Talent 2033’  H.E. said: “These sessions are essential for identifying innovative solutions to address broad challenges associated with Dubai’s workforce, including expat and UAE nationals, with a special focus on launching programs strengthening the readiness of national talents to assume leadership roles in critical sectors. Serving as a model for collaboration between government, semi-governmental entities, and the private sector, these sessions contribute to the design and development of comprehensive programs that support UAE’s human capital and address the evolving needs of the labour market.”

H.E. further remarked: “Through these sessions, which focus on developing critical talent in education, healthcare, Information and Communication Technologies (ICT), and talent retention, DGHR underscores its commitment to devising a strategy that attracts and retains innovative minds while boosting productivity in line with Dubai’s economic agenda. This approach is further reinforced by valuable contributions from experts and stakeholders, shaping impactful interventions that seamlessly align with the objectives of the Dubai Economic Agenda (D33), which aims to double the Gross Domestic Product (GDP) by 2033 and position Dubai as a global hub for innovation and human progress.”

The sessions, held over four days at the Mohammed Bin Rashid Library (MBRL), addressed a wide range of topics, including education, healthcare with a particular focus on nursing talents, ICT, talent retention, and the development of the national workforce. Designed to foster active engagement, the sessions provided stakeholders with valuable updates on project progress and leveraged the expertise of participants to support the implementation of future initiatives.

The ‘Co-Creation Sessions’ witnessed the participation of representatives from various government, semi-government, and private sector institutions, as well as prominent global entities. Participants contributed their perspectives and insights on the proposed interventions to refine the projects to better serve the beneficiaries within Dubai’s talent ecosystem. Notable attendees included representatives from the Ministry of Human Resources and Emiratisation, the Knowledge and Human Development Authority (KHDA), Dubai Health Authority, DP World, the Executive Council of Dubai, Emirates Global Aluminium, Mediclinic, Emirates Group, HSBC, Dubai Free Zones Council, Dubai Chambers, Dubai Future Foundation, du, Etisalat (e&), HSBC, Emirates NBD and the Higher Colleges of Technology.