DUBAI 5 April 2017: The Rochester Institute of Technology, Dubai campus (RIT Dubai), kicked-off the Middle East’s first Corporate Happiness Professional Diploma, that aims to increase happiness of employees, customers, visitors and residents across the UAE.
RIT Dubai, a leading American University based in Dubai Silicon Oasis (DSO), is offering the program in collaboration with Dubai Silicon Oasis Authority (DSOA) and the Smart Dubai Office (SDO).
The first batch of students comprises 25 senior professionals from a wide spectrum of government departments and corporate specializations. In a bid to drive the program’s success, SDO and DSOA are sponsoring 20 ‘Happiness Champions’ from various sectors.
DSOA, SDO, and RIT Dubai have designed the curriculum to reflect the goals of the Happiness Agenda. The course educates students on the key concepts of happiness and equips them to utilize their learning in the workplace through teaching them methods and frameworks that support the corporate environment in boosting the levels of happiness among employees and customers.
Science of Happiness
Participants will learn more about Dubai’s Happiness Agenda, find out how to measure happiness levels within their own organizations, and study how to embed happiness within their corporate culture. In addition, they will gain a deeper understanding of the science of happiness as well as the notion of happiness in different cultures.
The program will run over a period of three months, in intensive blocks that will be delivered by customer experience experts and consultants, as well as HR specialists from SDO and RIT Dubai. Students will graduate from the course at the end of May 2017, with high-level input from Gallup, an internationally renowned global performance management consultancy company.
Dr Aisha bin Bishr, Director General of Smart Dubai, said: “After graduation, students will take their learning to the workplace, which will result in happier employees, lead to happier customers, and hopefully help us attain 95 per cent happiness levels across the city in line with the vision of our leadership. With the sustained support of institutions such as DSOA and RIT Dubai, we hope to continue advancing smart and happy learning in the emirate.”
Dr Juma Al Matrooshi, Deputy Chief Executive Officer of Operations and Client Affairs at DSOA, said: “We take pride in being one of the first entities to have developed a comprehensive Happiest People Strategy as a pillar of the DSOA 2021 Strategy.”
Dr Yousef Al Assaf, President of RIT Dubai, added: “It is a privilege to welcome the first cohort of students to our groundbreaking Corporate Happiness Professional Diploma course. We are extremely excited to see the results of the participants’ corporate happiness strategic plans that they will develop for their organizations as part of the course. We believe they have the potential to make a major contribution to driving the human and technical capital of Dubai.”
The 20 ‘Happiness Champions’ that have enrolled in the first batch of the diploma program represent different 19 government entities including the Roads and Transport Authority, Dubai Silicon Oasis Authority, Dubai International Financial Centre, Knowledge and Human Development Authority, Dubai Electricity and Water Authority, Dubai Customs, Dubai Police, Dubai Municipality, Dubai Culture, Dubai Department of Economic Development, the General Directorate of Residency and Foreigners Affairs, Dubai Tourism, Dubai Courts, Dubai Chamber, Supreme Council of Energy, Community Development Authority, Dubai Civil Aviation Authority, Dry Docks World, and Smart Dubai Office. Notably, more than 43 champions from 38 government and public sector entities have joined SDO’s happiness champion’s initiative.
– By Sheena Amos