Dubai, November 26, 2008: The Dubai Quality Award Secretariat at the Department of Economic Development (DED) has reinforced its commitment to achieving high quality in the Emirate through conducting a series of comprehensive training sessions for senior and new assessors of the Dubai Quality Award (DQA) 2008 cycle.

Aimed at enhancing the knowledge-base of DQA assessors, the recent nine-day workshop was attended by more than 100 assessors representing different business sectors. They were updated on the Dubai Quality Award criteria and assessment process ahead of the assessment schedule for this year’s cycle of the award. The Dubai Quality Award recruits and trains new assessors every year based on the EFQM Model (non-assessed version). This year alone the DQA Secretariat trained around 50 new and 70 senior assessors.

The training was conducted by Mr Norman Hughes, from Total Quality Management Institute (TQMI) in the UK, who has been training the UK Quality Award Assessors for the past 7 years.

“While winning the award is a special honour for participating companies, the feedback from the assessors holds great value for companies, who use it as a starting point for identifying areas for improvement. The training for assessors thus becomes an extremely important aspect of the award process because it ensures uniform standard of assessment and consistency of evaluation,” said Mr Khalid Al Kassim, DQA Co-ordinator General at DED.

“The quality of the working methods of assessors within teams will directly impact assessment. Our focus has been on retaining experienced assessors as well as attracting people who hold senior positions and have significant experience of quality management, human resources and general management,” added Mr Al Kassim.

“We are delighted to note that senior assessors are eager to return for another cycle of assessment as they consider the training as added value to their personal development. The training helps them introduce the excellence criteria within their own organizations, thus ensuring that the message of quality spreads across the business community in Dubai,” Mr Al Kassim added.

Launched in 1994, the Dubai Quality Award enjoys the patronage of His Highness Sheikh Mohammad Bin Rashid Al Maktoum, UAE Vice President and Prime Minister and Ruler of Dubai, who has been instrumental in driving the quality movement across the private and public sectors in the emirate. The DQA is the single most valuable framework for companies to implement a quality strategy to improve their effectiveness by involving all employees to meet objectives and achieve customer satisfaction at optimal costs.

The DQA is distributed in nine key sectors that have a bearing on Dubai’s economy – Manufacturing, Professional, Tourism, Financial Services, Services, Trade, Construction, Health and Education.

About Department of Economic Development (DED):

The Department of Economic Development (DED) was established in March 1992, with the objective to organise, regulate and boost trade and industry within the Emirate of Dubai. The DED has moulded its mission of building a futuristic establishment, in accordance with the vision of the Government of Dubai and in the light of globalisation and the requirements of a digital economy. One of its key functions is to encourage local and foreign investments in commercial and industrial projects, and create the appropriate environment for investors.

The DED’s other functions comprise a wide range of regulatory activities including the preparation and maintenance of a commercial register and the supervision of all organisations. The DED is responsible for regulating the affairs of commercial agents and brokers and commercial advertising offices, in addition to overseeing and controlling the insurance industry in the Emirate. Examining the participation of the government in the private sector and representing the government in companies where it has a stake, also comes under the purview of the DED.

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