Corporate Happiness Diploma Kicks-off at Dubai Silicon Oasis-based RIT Dubai

Dubai - MENA Herald: The Rochester Institute of Technology- Dubai campus (RIT Dubai), a leading American University that is based in Dubai Silicon Oasis (DSO), kicked-off the Middle East’s first Corporate Happiness Professional Diploma, that aims to increase happiness levels among employees, customers, visitors and residents across the UAE.
RIT Dubai is offering the program in collaboration with Dubai Silicon Oasis Authority (DSOA), the regulatory body for DSO, the integrated free zone technology park, and the Smart Dubai Office (SDO) that aims to transform Dubai into the smartest and happiest city on earth. 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 outlined by His Highness Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice President and Prime Minister of the UAE and Ruler of Dubai. The course educates students on the key concepts of happiness and equips them to utilize their learnings in the workplace to implement methods and frameworks that support the corporate environment in boosting the levels of happiness among employees and customers.
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 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.
Speaking on the launch of the program, Dr Aisha bin Bishr, Director General of Smart Dubai, said: “The Smart Dubai Office is proud to welcome the inaugural class of the Corporate Happiness Diploma course. Today marks a major milestone in our journey of supporting the objectives of the Happiness Agenda that His Highness Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum launched last year.”
She added: “After graduation, students will take their learnings to the workplace that we believe will result in happier employees, lead to happier customers, and hopefully help us attain 95 percent 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. In our endeavor to support our leadership’s vision of transforming Dubai into the smartest and happiest city in the world, we are actively involved in exchanging knowledge and expertise with various partners and stakeholders to achieve happiness at a practical level.”
He added: “We are delighted to work with the Smart Dubai Office and RIT Dubai in developing this program. We warmly welcome the first batch of students, and are keen to see the positive transformation the program will inspire them to make within their respective organizations.”
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 19 different 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.