Department of Civil Service signs agreement with Wharton Executive Education

It is the first such international agreement that Wharton has signed and the first collaboration outside the USA.

DCS today, September 11 signed a Memorandum of Understanding with Wharton Executive Education, ranked by the Financial Times as the best business school in the world. Wharton has built its international reputation by working with multi-national corporations, earning No 1 status for Undergraduate programmes and No 3 for postgraduate programmes.

DCS Undersecretary Ali Al Ketbi said: "Wharton's all-round international experience gives them a significant advantage in devising programmes appropriate to the region and to the development and education of the Emirate's future leaders.

"Our association with Wharton is going to add further impetus to the fast-tracking of talented Emiratis to positions of seniority and responsibility in Government Departments."

Wharton will work closely with the Centre of Excellence in the Department of Civil Service to co-design and implement a variety of programmes, including a number focusing on women and leadership that are tailored to the Department's specific personnel development requirements.

"The scale and scope of the changes taking place within Abu Dhabi's public sector excites us. The leadership's ambitious plans to put in place a world-class administration by 2012 creates some specific educational challenges, challenges which we at Wharton look forward to addressing in close cooperation with the DCS," said Sandhya Karpe, Senior Director - Executive Programs, Wharton Executive Education.

Some 200 public sector high fliers are expected to participate in the DCS / Wharton programmes, which will include long-term assignments in the US and ongoing networking opportunities.

The partnership represents another important stage in the Department of Civil Service's five-year strategic plan to deliver a world-class system of governance; the Department now boasts relations with a number of global educational institutions - allowing access to an enviable range of industry leading and academic resources and programmes, from which all Abu Dhabi Government departments can only benefit.