The Emirates Securities and Commodities Authority (SCA) and the Dubai-based Hamdan bin Mohammed e-University have signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) aimed at boosting cooperation between the two sides in the area of professional advice and institutional development, in general and cooperation in the area of quality assurance and institutional excellence, in particular.
H.E. Abdullah Al-Turifi, SCA Chief Executive Officer, signed the agreement for his outfit, while Dr. Ibrahim Mahmoud bin Abdul Rahman, CEO of the University, also signed for his side, in a ceremony which was attended by a number of officials from the two sides.
In a post signing statement, Al-Turifi underscored his outfit's pride in the role being played by the Hamdan bin Mohammed e-University as a national institution making very significant contributions in the area of e-Education, in addition to its contributions in other areas of institutional excellence and creativity. He said the SCA's deep interest in signing the agreement was based on its focus on the building of institutional capacity, achieving institutional development, training and sustainable education for its cadres in order to achieve great development in the area of application of comprehensive quality policies in accordance with the standards of the Sheikh Khalifa Government Excellence Award, in addition to providing a conducive environment for innovation and creativity.
Al-Turifi said the SCA has an annual training and orientation program, which reflects its deep commitment to developing the country's human capital, through capacity building and improvement of performance and developing national working cadres to enable them discharge their duties with great competence to achieve the SCA's strategic vision, mission and objectives. He added that the SCA was striving to inject institutional excellence standards into its culture and environment, and was seeking to build strategic partnership that would boost its competitiveness capacity.
For his part, H.E. Dr. Ibrahim Mahmoud bin Abdul Rahman, CEO of the University, said: "The signing of the MoU between the University and the SCA follows similar achievements with a number of government and private institutions to impart our technical and technological expertise to various business sectors according to their objectives, to enable them play very effective roles in the society."
"To achieve these objectives, there is the need to expand the avenues of cooperation and joint national actions, most importantly, by developing the national human resources, through the provision of professional advice, text books and training programs, in implementation of the directives of the country's leadership and their vision of disseminating the culture of quality assurance, excellence and best practices," he added.
He pointed out that although the signing of the agreement came to crown the efforts of the two sides, it does not signify the end of the joint cooperation but rather marks the beginning of those ties. He said each of the two sides will set up a task force to follow up progress in the implementation of the details of the agreement, including the coordination of relations between the two sides in all areas and probing for areas of future joint actions by the two sides in accordance with their objectives.
According to the MoU, the two sides will cooperate in the areas of professional advice and institutional development, in general, as well as cooperation in the area of quality assurance and institutional excellence, in particular. They will also cooperate in organizing conferences, workshops, specialized forums and training programs on the latest developments and best practices in areas of mutual interest. They will also run joint project programs that would activate and boost the objectives and policies of the two sides.
The University, on the one hand, will contribute in developing the SCA's human resources through training programs and offering of professional advice, in the SCA's efforts to improve the role and performance of its human resources and to achieve excellence in its administrative, financial and leadership practices, the MoU states.
On the other hand, the SCA will offer students of the university the opportunity to train in the area of quality assurance and institutional excellence through a summer training and internship program. The SCA will also facilitate for the students and teaching staff of the University the procedure of conducting field studies in areas of their research works. Furthermore, the SCA will promote among its staff and partners the University's conferences and other functions, using all its available methods and occasions, including electronic banners and posting on its website the University's logo and motto of its academic programs and scientific conferences.
The University will also provide members of the SCA the opportunity to benefit from and participate in its activities and functions, use the University's library in accordance with the its rules and regulations, provide the SCA advice and text books on institutional excellence and internal quality assurance and provide the SCA with the necessary training assistance for the Sheikh Khalifa Government Excellence Award. The University will also nominate to the SCA its students and graduates who have qualified in the area of quality assurance and institutional excellence to undergo the SCA's "SHARE" (Supporting Human Assets for Real Emiratization) program or to be employed directly by the SCA. Those students and graduates are to be selected for the program only after they have successfully passed all the stages of a special entrance exam for the program and in accordance with the SCA's rules and regulations.
The University will also nominate its final year students, specializing in quality assurance and institutional excellence, to be adopted by the SCA's Student Welfare Program, in accordance with the SCA's rules and regulations.