Dubai Electricity & Water Authority (DEWA) | DEWA launches ‘Inclusion POD Innovation Incubator’ and sign a MoU with Dubai Club for People of Determination

HE Saeed Mohammed Al Tayer, MD & CEO of Dubai Electricity and Water Authority (DEWA) launched the ‘Inclusion POD Innovation Incubator’ initiative to encourage DEWA’s subsidiaries on the inclusion of People of Determination (POD) in the workplace. This is part of DEWA’s role as a socially responsible which also supports the Dubai Plan 2021 for Dubai to be a city of happy, creative, and empowered people who live in an inclusive and cohesive society.

Al Tayer launched the initiative during a special eventevent held at DEWA Campus for Occupational and Academic Development in Al Hudaiba in Dubai. HE Ahmed Buti Al Muhairbi, Secretary-General of the Supreme Council of Energy; HE Thani Juma Berregad, Chairman of Dubai Club for People of Determination; representatives from Mai Dubai,  Siemens; Ghantoot Group; Future Pipe Industries; Shuaa Energy 1; Shuaa Energy ; 2DEWA’s Executive Vice Presidents, Vice Presidents and DEWA’s employees of determination attended the event. The event presented a video on DEWA’s efforts to empower People of Determination. Dr Ansam Alnatour, Specialist POD at DEWA, gave a presentation on the initiative and DEWA’s achievements in this regard, during the event. On the sidelines of the event, DEWA held a POD exhibition to showcase their innovations and updated solutions for their inclusion and empowerment. DEWA’s partners, public and private rehabilitation centres, DEWA’s employees of determination; and DEWA Academy students participated in the exhibition.

HE Saeed Mohammed Al Tayer and HE Thani Juma Berregad signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) to increase bilateral cooperation in organising events and sustainable community activities. This is part of DEWA’s role as a socially responsible organisation. It also enhances the alignment between DEWA’s strategy and local and federal policies, to further include and empower People of Determination (POD) into society, especially in sporting activities.

The MoU includes organising training programmes to empower POD. As per the agreement, Dubai Club for People of Determination will train DEWA’s volunteers on ways to deal with POD and present a certificate on completion of training. The agreement also includes cooperation in voluntary activities and events to support their inclusion into society. Furthermore, the agreement includes collaboration to organise training courses on Emirati sign language and awareness lectures about techniques of inclusion them. It also includes focused group sessions, with the participation of Dubai Club for People of Determination and their families. This will raise awareness of DEWA’s efforts in inclusion POD and training them on its including smart services. The two parties will also organise a sports day for DEWA’s employees and POD registered in the Club.

Al Tayer also honoured Al Noor Training Centre for Persons with Disabilities, Senses Center, Dubai Club for People of Determination, Dubai Club for People of Determination, Rashid Centre for People of Determination, Desert Group, Dass Solutions, and Emirates NBD- Together Limitless, for their efforts in empowering PoD.

“Welcome to the launch of the ‘Inclusion POD Innovation Incubator’, one of our  initiatives to support the National Policy to Empower People of Determination, launched by His Highness Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice President and Prime Minister of the UAE and Ruler of Dubai, to create an inclusive society that ensures empowerment and a decent life for People of Determination and their families. It also supports the ‘My Community... a City for Everyone’ initiative, launched by His Highness Sheikh Hamdan bin Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Crown Prince of Dubai and Chairman of the Executive Council of Dubai, to turn Dubai into a friendly city for People of Determination by 2020,” said Al Tayer in his welcoming speech.

“This initiative encourages DEWA’s partners and subsidiary companies to include and empower POD according to the highest international and local standards. We also encourage them to be part of the initiative and follow the directives of our wise leadership. As a socially responsible corporation that actively recruits people of determination, we have aligned our strategies to local and federal strategies to include POD. We aim to achieve the UAE Vision 2021 National Agenda to preserve a cohesive society that is proud of its identity and sense of belonging,” added Al Tayer.

“DEWA launches several innovative and smart initiatives every year, including DEWA’s Advisory Council for People of Determination. We have trained our employees and redesigned our buildings, facilities and services, to make DEWA more accessible. We have also enhanced various the customer experience and improved our human resources policies including hiring a specialist for POD. This empowers them and improves their access to information and services, and makes them happier by further including them into society. DEWA also attracts and hires qualified POD UAE nationals, so they can also contribute to DEWA’s success,” said Al Tayer.

“We launched the Absher initiative to support DEWA’s employees of determination. Absher provides them with specialists and qualified staff in human resources, and also a dedicated hotline and email to meet their needs. We also opened an Innovation Centre at Dubai Rehabilitation Centre for People of Determination, which provides training on modern technologies to 150 students with disabilities. We participated in the Inclusive Employment Standards Committee in Dubai, preparing the included employment guide in Dubai, launching the federal Recruitment Platform for POD.  DEWA also sponsors the Dubai Autism Centre’s annual autism awareness campaign, under the umbrella of social protection in Dubai People of Determination Strategy 2020. DEWA also sponsors the AccessAbilities Expo 2020,” added Al Tayer.

“One of our most prominent achievements to include POD was the redesigning of 100% of our facilities and buildings to meet the Dubai Universal Design Code. DEWA also employed 27 people of determination in seven divisions, and their happiness score was 99% in 2018. DEWA won the People-of-Determination-Friendly Government Entity award at the 21st Dubai Government Excellence Program. DEWA also received the MVO8000 in CSR, becoming the first government organisation in Dubai to receive this international certification,” said Al Tayer.

“We would like to highlight that inclusion POD in the work environment and society is everyone’s responsibility. We look forward to hearing the success stories of this initiative in your organisations. Let’s turn Dubai into a friendly city for People of Determination by 2020,” concluded Al Tayer. 

The Inclusion POD Innovation Incubator includes programmes such as the Motivating Leadership programme, Training programme, Knowledge Management programme, Benchmarking Visits programme and Successful Stories programme. The Inspiring Leadership programme includes orientation sessions on public and private efforts regarding POD, and the directives to senior management of DEWA’s subsidiaries on POD inclusion. The training programme extends to three days and includes eight sessions on the inclusion of POD  in the workplace, according to the highest international standards. The Knowledge Management programme provides information and resources on inclusion and qualifying POD. The Benchmarking Visits programme includes visits for representatives of participating companies to different DEWA centres, where they are briefed on best practices.  The Successful Stories programme monitors and documents the latest practices for companies working in this field.