TOP 5 Corporate Training trends in the UAE for 2024
The business landscape is transforming fast. A strong push into AI and tech, a growing commitment to green practices, and a focus on making workplaces more inclusive and diverse, are changing the way companies do business.
In an environment where competition is fierce and the pace of change relentless, companies find themselves at a crossroads: adapt or risk falling behind.
This evolution sets the scene for the top corporate training trends in the UAE of 2024. From harnessing the power of digital innovation to embedding the principles of equity and environmental stewardship, into corporate DNA.
This article looks in more detail at these emerging trends, offering insights and strategies for UAE businesses to navigate the challenges and seize the opportunities in this rapidly evolving market.
Patricia O’Sullivan
Founder & Managing Partner
1: Virtual and Augmented Reality for Immersive Learning
AI seems to be everywhere at the moment, reshaping everything from routine administrative tasks to complex decision-making processes. Whether it’s using chatbots to streamline customer service, automating financial reports in accounting, or leveraging predictive analytics in healthcare, its applications seem endless. While this is undoubtedly a huge positive, there’s a growing recognition of the value of uniquely human skills—abilities that AI can’t replicate. Emotional intelligence, for instance, helps professionals manage relationships and understand customer needs with a level of empathy machines can’t match. Creativity, too, is invaluable, pushing companies to innovate and stay ahead in competitive markets. And let’s not overlook critical thinking – in a world awash with data, the ability to sift through information and make smart decisions is indispensable. As businesses globally continue to integrate AI into their operations, the spotlight on these soft skills will only intensify.
These skills are becoming the differentiators that set companies apart – the secret sauce that can’t be automated or outsourced.
2: Increased Emphasis on Soft Skills
AI seems to be everywhere at the moment, reshaping everything from routine administrative tasks to complex decision-making processes. Whether it’s using chatbots to streamline customer service, automating financial reports in accounting, or leveraging predictive analytics in healthcare, its applications seem endless. While this is undoubtedly a huge positive, there’s a growing recognition of the value of uniquely human skills—abilities that AI can’t replicate. Emotional intelligence, for instance, helps professionals manage relationships and understand customer needs with a level of empathy machines can’t match. Creativity, too, is invaluable, pushing companies to innovate and stay ahead in competitive markets. And let’s not overlook critical thinking – in a world awash with data, the ability to sift through information and make smart decisions is indispensable. As businesses globally continue to integrate AI into their operations, the spotlight on these soft skills will only intensify.
These skills are becoming the differentiators that set companies apart – the secret sauce that can’t be automated or outsourced.
3: Internal Upskilling and Reskilling
In the UAE, businesses are quickly realising that staying ahead means embracing constant learning and change. Instead of shouldering the high costs and lengthy process of seeking talent externally, they’re turning to a more effective strategy to close the skills gap by looking within.
Upskilling and reskilling the workforce does double duty. It not only cuts down on recruitment expenses but also taps into the existing potential of current employees. This inward focus boosts more than skill levels—it lifts morale and keeps employees around longer by showing them they’re valued for their growth and career advancement.
The need for such upskilling has also become even clearer post-pandemic. A 2023 PricewaterhouseCoopers International survey revealed that 39% of employees recognise the necessity for organisational change, with 44% expecting their job skills to change significantly in the next five years. Upskilling meets these challenges head-on, improving workforce capabilities and preparing businesses to adapt to evolving market demands. In the UAE, where there’s a strong push for Emiratisation, upskilling is especially relevant. It is seen as a key tool in developing local talent, offering programmes focused on leadership and career advancement to support the national vision. As such this is already becoming one of the most important corporate training trends in the UAE this year.
4: Microlearning and Just-in-Time Learning
The digital age has given us unprecedented amounts of information at the click of a button or swipe of a screen, but this bombardment of information and digital lifestyle have also shrunk our attention spans and made us impatient and easily distracted. Fortunately, there’s Microlearning; short, focused learning units that take 10 minutes or less to complete. These are already transforming the corporate training landscape in the UAE and will continue to grow in popularity as businesses increasingly look for the most efficient ways to develop their teams. Coupled with this is just-in-time learning, where employees can access information exactly when they need it, often through mobile platforms. These approaches help in retaining information better and effectively applying it on the job.
This year, these adaptive learning strategies are set to become the norm in the UAE, reflecting a broader understanding that today’s learners need training that can be easily slotted into busy schedules and is also highly relevant.
5:Focus on Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) & Sustainability
In the UAE, a spotlight on sustainability and corporate social responsibility (CSR) is reshaping the corporate training agenda. This focus isn’t new, but it is gaining momentum, especially after Dubai’s role as the host city for COP28, underlining the nation’s commitment to leading environmental change. In this context, companies are ramping up their CSR and sustainability training programmes, aiming not just to comply with global standards but to set new benchmarks.
This training goes beyond mere awareness, embedding sustainability into the corporate ethos and operational strategies. It covers everything from reducing carbon footprints and enhancing energy efficiency to ethical business practices and community engagement. The goal is clear: to cultivate a workforce that not only understands the importance of sustainability but also actively contributes to achieving it.
This year, the trend towards sustainability in corporate training is expected to deepen, propelled by the vision to pivot towards a green economy. Training providers are looking to new tools that help eliminate the profusion of wasteful printing that was synonymous with training provision of yesteryear.