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INTERNATIONAL CERTIFICATION : A LEADING CREDENTIAL IN THE GLOBAL WORKPLACE

BLUE OCEAN RAISES THE BAR OF CERTIFIED PROFESSIONALS IN THE MIDDLE EAST

Dubai (UAE): “An international certification is a benchmark of competence and a leading credential for professionals in today’s competitive world,” said Mr. Mohammed Al Ali, Vice President, Head SME branches and liability, Abu Dhabi Commercial Bank.

Speaking at a glittering convocation ceremony of Blue Ocean Academy held at Hyatt Regency, Deira, Mr. Ali highlighted that professionals were increasingly safeguarding their careers and validating their skills through international certifications. The glittering convocation ceremony was held at the Hyatt Regency Deira and well attended by industry experts and professionals from the private and public sector.

“I am proud to grace this very important occasion and to congratulate professionals who are keen to learn and develop their skills in order to add value to their jobs. It is a very encouraging trend, to see UAE attracting the best of talent from the world over,” he said. More than 400 Blue Ocean students were felicitated during the convocation ceremony.

In the Middle East, international certifications signify an instant passport to a rewarding career, a premium tag that helps professionals to gain self-esteem and professional recognition. It also signals entry into an elite club of internationally certified professionals worldwide.

The growth in certification programs is a reaction to the changing employment market. International certifications are portable, since they do not depend on a company's definition of a certain job.

“Certification stands out from the resume and the professional reference by being an impartial, third-party endorsement of an individual's professional knowledge and experience,” said Mr. Ali.

Mr. John Richard Ellis, Chairman of the Blue Ocean Advisory Board who also spoke on the occasion highlighted that in a world of constant change and competition, continuous professional education is necessary. “At Blue Ocean Academy, we offer professional training courses backed by international certifications, to help individuals shine at the workplace.”

“With more than 18 years of training expertise, world-class faculty and well-designed, custom-delivered training modules, Blue Ocean stands tall with an alumni of 60,000 plus successful professionals. Having taken small steps forward every year, Blue Ocean is now the leading knowledge empowerment enterprise in the Middle East. Our presence in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia and Qatar is growing everyday.”

“At Blue Ocean training creates a circle of excellence starting from knowledge, empowerment, innovation and excellence,” he added.

Blue Ocean international certificates are endorsed by Knowledge and Human Development Authority (KHDA) and apex certifying bodies like International Quality Federation (IQF), International Purchase and Supply Chain Management Institute (IPSCMI), American Certification Institute (ACI) and the International Quality Federation.

As Dubai transforms itself into a hub of human capital, exporting knowledge and manpower to other GCC and North African countries, there is an urgent need for developing human resource practices to retain and groom local talent in time for Dubai Expo 2020. 

Don’t miss out on Blue Ocean’s Spring Convocation ceremony, January 2015..

Certified Professionals Raise the Bar

International certifications are viewed as a benchmark of competence By Dr.Sathya Menon

The value of an international certification has increased manifold after recession. Increasingly, professionals are safeguarding their careers and validating their skills through international certifications. It is a benchmark of competence and a leading credential for professionals in today’s competitive world. In the Middle East, international certifications signify an instant passport to a rewarding career, a premium tag that helps professionals to gain self-esteem and professional recognition. It also signals entry into an elite club of internationally certified professionals worldwide.

The growth in certification programs is a reaction to the changing employment market. International certifications are portable, since they do not depend on a company’s definition of a certain job.

At the same time companies keen to hire certified professionals are those that are demonstrating to customers, competitors, suppliers, staff and investors that industry-respected best practices are in use.

Hiring managers tend to view certifications as a more objective measure of a candidate’s skill level than self-reported skills and competency. A Microsoft  Learning White Paper titled :  “Connecting Dots Between Employers and Employees”  revealed that the added market value of a certification can be as high as 30%-40%. The average salary uplift reported across all certifications is in the 5%-11% range.

Certification stands out from the resume and the professional reference by being an impartial, third-party endorsement of an individual’s professional knowledge and experience.

Consider this:  Hiring managers from Fortune 500 companies are looking to pay a premium for internationally certified professionals. Eighty-six percent of  hiring managers indicate certifications are a high or medium priority during the candidate evaluation process. Eight in ten HR execs verify certifications among  job candidates. Ninety-one percent of hiring managers consider certification as part of their hiring criteria.

Statistics revealed that for each new team member certified, the team performance has increased every time. The more skilled a team, the better the profitability it cab bring to the company.

Certifications are earned from a professional society like the International Purchase and Supply Chain Management Institute (IPSCMI), American Purchasing Society (APS), Chartered Institute of Purchasing and Supply (CIPS), American Certification Institute (ACI), Chartered Institute of Logistics and Transport (CILT), International Quality Federation (IQF) or from IT vendors like SAP, Microsoft or CISCO. Most certification programs are created, sponsored, or affiliated with professional associations, trade organizations, or IT vendors interested in raising the standards of professionalism.

(ENDS)

Handy Hints

• International certification is a benchmark of professional competence.
• The changing employment market has spawned the need for international certifications.
• Internationally certified professionals can demand  a 30-40 per cent increase in salary.

WORKPLACE FREEDOM DELIVERS BETTER RESULTS

BY DEBASREE BANERJEE

Workplaces worldwide are in a state of flux. Employees are clamoring for empowerment and freedom while managements are struggling to keep a balance between discipline and workplace rights. All the time, management control is imperative for productivity and profitability.

Workplace research has revealed that workers who feel they are free to make choices in the workplace, and be held accountable for them, are happier and more productive than employees who are more restricted. The problem, however, is that there is no universal cross-cultural and trans-national definition of autonomy.

However with the workplace constantly evolving and globalization increasingly important, cross-cultural research into workplace autonomy is more important than ever. Freedom for employees changes from one context to another, and has to be carefully defined to prevent abuse.

There is nothing that makes one happier than the sense of freedom. The freedom to flex your work hours to accommodate family life while still meeting organisational goals; freedom to air new ideas and opposing viewpoints with the management; freedom to do things differently, freedom to have a healthy work-life balance.

In the Middle East, however where managements deal with an expatriate workforce, employee freedom and flexibility has to be subject to certain checks and balances.

Global search giants Google for example offers a casual and easy work culture for its employees. The Google office reveals a colourful ambience--furniture and game boards--creating a fun atmosphere.

This environment of freedom is nurtured by a group of very smart people who are self-motivated, passionate to come out with innovative products which have a bearing on peoples' lives. Google has provided an environment without hierarchy and restriction, thereby giving abundant freedom to the employees. It has placed ideas above hierarchy and tried to make it easy for Googlers to make things happen. It's not uncommon for one person's interesting idea to grow to a larger, even company-wide, initiative.

While the walk to freedom has never been easy, workplaces are no longer "sweat shops", it's important to define employee freedom in different contexts and implement them for better profitability.

(ENDS)

HANDY HINTS

• Workplaces are no longer sweatshops
• Employees perform better when they are given options
• It is important to balance discipline with worker rights

Debasree Banerjee is the Corporate Communications Manager of Blue Ocean Academy.

WARMING UP TO ENEMIES AT THE WORKPLACE

“If you’re not making enemies, you are either doing something wrong or you are not doing anything at all ” goes the popular saying. No matter how innovative your ideas are or how hard you work to achieve the goals, there will always be people within and outside the organization who will oppose you.

More often than not, the enmity you will face will be due to your achievements and not for your limitations. If you are a high achiever, chances are that you will be favoured by the management and envied by your peers.

Anyone who has faced a rival at work—a colleague threatened by your skills, a superior unwilling to acknowledge your good ideas, or a subordinate who undermines you—knows such dynamics can prove catastrophic for your career, and for your group or organization.

The idea is not to get psyched out, instead learn a few rules of organizational conflict that will sustain you and help you navigate workplace conflict far more productively.

The mantra is to remain focused on your goals and objectives and not to get too perturbed by others’ actions and attitudes. When colleagues make rude and malicious comments, they are best ignored or responding to every nasty comment could become a full time job.

It’s also important to identify concerns that are worth a conflict. Fighting over things that don’t matter either individually or as an organizational goal will lead you nowhere. It is also significant that you develop an insight into others’ opinions and points of view. Insensitivity can kill relationships and make you vulnerable in the workplace.

Embracing your enemy, is another key point of survival.

Again you are likely to be caught on the wrong foot if you tend to stay away from your enemies. You give him a chance to lobby against you behind your back. Instead if you hold your friends close to your heart learn to hold your enemies at the workplace nearer. You will never know what your enemies are thinking or doing unless you engage with them.

Humour and tact are great ways of diffusing tension.

And sometimes it is important to either ignore or overlook issues for which you have no solutions. Finally enmity at the workplace is inevitable. Warming up to your enemies can cause you less damage than what you imagine.

(ENDS)

Handy Hints

• Enmity is inevitable at the workplace.
• High Achievers have the maximum number of enemies.
• It is important to engage with your enemies.

Warm up to enemies in the workplace

Mantra is to remain focused on your goals and not get perturbed by others’ actions