The Dubai Ethics Resource Center teams up with five local colleges and universities to launch the "Future Leader Program"

In a press conference held at the Chamber of Commerce and Industry, senior administrators from the Dubai Men's College, the Dubai Women's College, the Dubai University College, the Wollongong University in Dubai and Zayed University joined DERC officials in announcing the Future Leader Program, a multi-pronged educational and teaching skill development program that will empower students to identify and confront ethical challenges in the work environment, assist them in the development of ethical leadership attributes and strengthen the capacity of faculty members to design and deliver business ethics curricula. A memorandum of understanding governing the terms of the multilateral collaboration was signed in a public ceremony prior to the press conference.

Ms. Amna Al Jallaf, a member of the Dubai Chamber of Commerce and Industry (DCCI) Board who sits on the Executive Committee of DERC said that the Future Leader Program "provides a vehicle for business and academia to contribute to the ethical development of the next generation of business leaders". She explained that "leaders from DCCI affiliated Business Groups participated in the identification of key ethical challenges that new graduates are likely to face in the work place, which will be used by faculty-led working groups in developing the program content".

A major component of the program is the joint development of an online ethics resource center that will be accessible by students and faculty at participating institutions and can be made available to other colleges and universities in the UAE and the region. A Higher Colleges of Technology supplied online teaching and object-learning platform will be used to create ethics simulations, case studies and other reference material. Director of Dubai Women's College, Dr Howard Reed, says the platform will provide interactive learning opportunities for students about the ethical implications of the decisions they would make in business. "The online simulations have been carefully scripted to include situations familiar to students and business people in Dubai. Examples include conflict of interest and discrimination in the workplace. Dubai Women's College welcomes the collaboration with the Dubai Ethics Resource Centre and other tertiary institutions to produce these innovative tools to support independent learning.

The program is jointly supported by the DCCI, the Higher Colleges of Technology and Shell Exploration and Production International. Hussain Al Mahmoudi, External Affairs Manager at Shell explained: "this is yet a further demonstration of Shell commitment to the development of the UAE. We believe such a program is an excellent initiative which aims at training the future leaders on business Ethics. We would like to congratulate the DERC on moving and successfully implementing this program. The program tailors well with Shell's own internal programmes on adhering to its General Business Principles. Shell has been a founding member of the Executive Committee of DERC and has shown support throughout the establishment process."

A series of university seminars on business ethics were conducted throughout February and March of this year as a prelude to launching the program. Added Alex Zalami, DERC Executive Director: "a writing group composed of faculty members from participating colleges and universities is scheduled to complete the first on-line ethics simulation in June and plans to develop additional material to launch the online resource center by the fall semester. In parallel, a group of faculty members from the various academic institutions are currently enrolled in an on-line train-the-trainer workshop to develop their skills in teaching business ethics. This summer, DERC will host a group of student interns who will complete the summer internship program with a week residency at leading local and regional businesses for on-site familiarization with best practices in business ethics and corporate governance".