Rachel Devereux-Douglas: A magical e-Learning journey at Supreme Group

Rachel Devereux-Douglas has worked in Dubai for 12 years, 10 years in a Learning & Development Capacity. She began her career with Emirates Airlines in 1998 and quickly began training Cabin Crew for Service Delivery and Customer Service. During her 5 years training, she completed a Training Development Diploma through the University of Leicester, before moving to the Corporate Leadership Department as a Learning & Development Specialist to deliver management training programs and development centers for senior managers. During this period, she began and has now completed her Masters in Social Science for Human Resource Development and Performance Management through the University of Leicester. After 10 years with Emirates Airlines, she moved to a company called ‘Supreme Group’ in 2008, a Foodservice and Logistics provider to clients in challenging and remote regions. She joined ‘Supreme Group’ as the Corporate Learning and Development Manager to set up the department and deliver management training programs. Supreme has grown from 3700 employees to 9000 during Rachel’s tenure and is still growing today.

After conducting 38 interviews as part of a Training Needs Analysis (TNA), she quickly identified employee needs, which evolved around almost 300 different topics with requirements for technical and non technical skills – which of course she could not personally deliver. Through networking, she was introduced to Paul Michael Gledhill, Director and Co-founder of Xpert Learning. Paul subsequently came to visit Rachel in a small office in Deira to discuss the needs of Supreme. Rachel then attended an open seminar facilitated by Xpert Learning, SkillSoft and their clients at a five-star hotel in Dubai. The event included a panel of high-profile Learning & Development professionals and speakers, all sharing best practices. Attending this seminar helped Rachel to conceptualize her approach to e-Learning in order to make the initiative within Supreme Group, a success. After this session, she prepared a SWOT analysis and conducted a cost benefit analysis to compare the cost of classroom training, travel, accommodation, time spent out of the business amongst others, to the fractional cost and large selection of online learning modules. Rachel was particularly attracted to how e-Learning could accommodate her employees’ needs, especially those working in remote locations with 24x7 learning at the fingertips.

e-Learning began in April 2009; the contract started with 100 employees who were nominated as ‘good performers’ in order to gain membership. At the onset this was treated as a ‘Reward’ program. Rachel selected modules that linked to the organization’s Mission, Vision and Values, core competencies, through an online TNA facilitated by Xpert Learning and face-to-face TNA by herself. This approach offered a seamless development plan aligned to the annual performance review. Through the application process, employees had to analyze and prioritize which modules would add most value to their development; this required feedback from the line manager, therefore aiming to gain commitment. The Manager was also requested to set objectives in the performance review, requesting their employees to complete at least 10 modules per year. Xpert Learning offered a lot of support and flexibility to add additional modules on where necessary; with quarterly scheduling in order to provide a summary of results and revisit achievement of objectives. This added value particularly where managers needed a specific skills set outside of the core competencies.

Rachel ensured that employees received a bi-monthly newsletter on e-Learning to illustrate results, employee testimonials, top 20 learners, most usage per business unit to create healthy competition and communicate prizes and prize winners for completing the most number of modules.

Halfway through the program, Rachel initiated a recognition ceremony to reward e-Learners and employees who completed corporate programs with certificates. As part of a post-course for e-Learning, Rachel designed and recommended the use of a reflective learning log; supplemented with feedback from the line manager, that should be attached to the performance review in order to provide recognition for behavioral changes on the job. Although the training was not mandatory, the results were above 100% target with 1082 modules completed in 2009-2010. By the end of the first year, the total number of employees using e-Learning had doubled in size.

The feedback from employees has been extremely positive; this has provided a motivational tool for employees who are grateful of the investment in their development, creating ‘positive perceptions of goodness’ about the company they work for. Many potential employees even enquire if development is provided for employees, making the employer proud to confirm that e-Learning is one of the learning tools available for them.

The 2nd year of e-Learning at Supreme Group has just started and an invitation has been sent to all employees to apply for membership. Potentially, the number of users could grow between 300 – 3000 employees. Rachel whole-heartedly testifies through personal experience that adding best practices, before, during and after implementation, will support a company embarking on an e-Learning program.

Undoubtedly, this will be another successful e-Learning year for Supreme. We wish Rachel all the best in her endeavors.

Connect with Rachel on LinkedIn or contact her at racheldouglas@mailme.ae

Xpert Learning hosts its first-ever 5@Ten session

Dubai, April 29, 2010. At its head office in Knowledge Village, Dubai, Xpert Learning held its first 5@Ten session, which brought together key professionals and executives within the Learning & Development arena, from high-profile companies across the Middle East. The objective of this initiative was to bring together thought-leaders within the industry in one room, on a roundtable, with an open agenda, allowing them to share anything they want to, on any topic, with or without any relation to learning or e-Learning. This first 5@Ten session was attended by the following key individuals:

• Patricio G. Porras (Chief Learning Officer, Axiom Telecom)
• Ali Zaheer (Training Officer, Emaar)
• DharamVeer Sood (Assistant Manager, Rivoli Group)
• Lara Gibbs (Training & Development Manager, FlyDubai)

The session was chaired by Paul Michael Gledhill, Director and Co-Founder of Xpert Learning, and facilitated by David Hastings, new e-Learning Account Manager at Xpert Learning.

Paul kicked off the session by introducing the attendees and laying out the purpose of the session. To break the ice, he started the discussion on an informal note by narrating a recent story of “extreme learning”.

Paul’s story led Patricio Porras to outline a few of his achievements, on a more formal note. Patricio talked about the induction process at Axiom Telecom. He mentioned that 80% of his time was invested in the induction process which turned out to be very successful. “Companies traditionally recruit when a position becomes vacant. This is a bad policy. Our new induction process aims to break this tradition. Once new recruits pass and get certified, what we do after the first 90 days of induction is my new focus at the moment”, said Patricio. “This is the year of people development!”, further added Patricio, who is currently hiring about 20 employees per month. His current induction cycle is: 1st and 2nd day, everyone attends a broad spectrum induction at head office, 3rd day in the market place, 4th and 5th day are sales, product knowledge, process. Quizzes and evaluations come after the 4th and 5th day, following which there is a department induction and then a personal induction.

Following Patricio’s account, Ali Zaheer picked up on the discussions by sharing with the audience how online assessments are conducted at Emaar. “These tests save costs and time”, declared Ali. Visibly a few steps ahead of everyone else, Ali explained that Emaar uses online video key messages from senior management to encourage staff to use the eLearning Portal. According to Ali, this scenario has been properly tried and tested and works well for Emaar. Ali went on further to explain that they have created online policy and procedures instead of paper using rapid conversion tools. With the addition of visuals and voice-overs, these have become more interactive and effective.

Lara Gibbs contributed to the discussion by asking about the problem of missing the personal touch during the induction process. This led to further discussions amongst the attendees.

On a slightly different note, DharamVeer Sood followed up by giving his account on how induction to e-Learning happens at Rivoli Group. “We made the learners at Rivoli aware of the financial implications involved in e-learning and they appreciated that the organization was investing in its people even during these times”, declared DharamVeer. According to him, e-Learning keeps people engaged. He attributes the success of the e-Learning initiative at Rivoli Group to the shortened induction period, pilot evaluations and giving people the flexibility to opt out if they do not want to participate. DharamVeer added that he monitors the progress of the learners by running reports regularly and setting the pass mark at a high score to ensure that the learners knew their materials.

After more than an hour of discussions and interactive engagement, Paul wrapped up the session.

Following this successful session, with microphone in hand and in a truly journalistic style, Nabeel Nazeer, Technical Consultant at Xpert Learning, requested for feedback from the attendees.

David Hastings, who recently joined Xpert Learning and was invited to facilitate the session, was very impressed by the multiple topics of discussions which arose within a session which had no agenda at all. “Having joined 5@Ten as part of my induction into the world of e-Learning, I would say that if I had any lingering doubt or anxiety about joining Xpert Learning, it was washed away by listening to the thoughts of major players in today's session,” said David. 

Lara Gibbs

As L&D professionals, often we spend our days, eyes and ears focused on the day- to-day of making training/learning & development happen without taking time out to develop ourselves – 5@Ten was a great opportunity for me to share best practices and learn from my peers in various industries - Thank you Xpert Learning for including me in this inaugural endeavor and for giving back as you always do, I look forward to participating in subsequent sessions.

Ali Zaheer

It’s a great initiative! No Doubt! I think that sessions like these will bring companies (who have implemented e-Learning solutions) closer and share their strategies. Great work Xpert Learning!

Patricio G. Porras

Thank you Xpert Learning. Really enjoyed the discussion and looking forward to the next invite.

Paul Michael Gledhill

I found the session very flowing, engaging and enjoyable. It was a breeze! I can’t wait to chair the next one.

We, at Xpert Learning, are now looking forward to the next 5@Ten session which will happen on the last Thursday of next month, 27th May 2010. Please contact us at info@xpertlearning.com or call +971 4 3910503 for more information if you want to be part of this interactive and fun-filled session.

Free Education for Children Across the Globe – Get Involved!

Dubai remains one of the world’s strongest growth engines thanks to the vision and inspired leadership of His Highness Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice-President and Prime Minister of the UAE and ruler of Dubai. Recently, Sheikh Mohammed introduced a strategy and vision which is based on the foundations that will achieve an overall UAE vision until the year 2021 (Emirates News Agency, WAM, Jan 3, 2010). The strategy’s top priority is to provide the highest levels of prosperity and a decent life for citizens, by upgrading the education and health care systems and focus on social development and the improvement of governmental services so as to enhance UAE stature worldwide (Emirates News Agency, WAM, Jan 3, 2010). His Highness aims to establish a world class learning system based on the development of knowledge and skills of students of all ages and build a knowledge-based economy that will maintain the UAE's trade standing regionally and internationally (Emirates News Agency, WAM, Jan 3, 2010).

In line with Sheikh Mohammed’s vision, Xpert Learning, the leading e-Learning solutions provider in the Middle East, has played an extensive and sustained role in encouraging and fostering education throughout the United Arab Emirates and the Middle East region since its inception. Education is a top corporate priority for Xpert Learning, as it is the key to prosperity and opportunity. Janine Croft, Managing Director at Xpert Learning emphasized that the company strives to bring corporate responsibility to every aspect of its business. “We’ve institutionalized strong principles of corporate governance and support initiatives that increase access to technology and education,” said Janine. “Xpert Learning just recently came across a very interesting initiative known as “Free Education for Children Across the Globe” which aligned itself nicely with our company’s corporate social responsibility. We are keen to get individuals and organizations within the Middle East region involved in this amazing solution,” she further added.

In today’s complex world, children’s futures are determined by their ability to master the basics of reading, science, math and computers. Yet costs, class sizes and other issues often prevent children access to quality online learning that can support and reinforce these essential skills. e-Learning for Kids is a global non-profit foundation providing childhood learning via the internet completely free of charge.

Covering the basics such as reading, science, maths and computers, it is not only a place for children between the ages of 5 and 12 to come and learn in their own time at their own pace, but also a community for the grownups too.

In 2009, more than 1.6 million children in 190 countries benefited from one or more e-Learning for Kids courses. For 2010, their goal is to reach between 2 to 3 million children.

There are so many ways in which you can get involved to help them achieve this goal, from simply spreading the word to making a donation, from volunteering your skills (whether as an individual or as a vendor) to partnering with or sponsoring the foundation. This is an amazing initiative and will most definitely be of great benefit to children in the Middle East.

To find out more and to get involved now, please contact us at Xpert Learning at info@xpertlearning.com or call +971 4 3910504.

Lakshmi Prakash, active researcher in the field of e-Learning

Lakshmi Prakash completed her Masters Degree in Computer Applications from Madras University, and worked in India for some time at Amrita Institute of Technology & Science (AITEC) currently under Amritha Vishwapeedam University, Kerala, India. After a few years in India, she moved to Oman in 2001 and joined Sohar University as Course Coordinator. Since then, she developed her research interest in personalized e-learning systems tools and architecture.

Lakshmi is currently publishing research papers in these areas in collaboration with Prof. N.S. Kutti (Associate Professor, Department of Computer Science, Sultan Qaboos University, Oman) and Dr. A.S.M. Sajeev (Professor of Computer Science, UNE, Adelaide, Australia).

Being an avid fan of e-Learning, Lakshmi has always believed that the availability of good quality learning resources plays a very important role in improving students’ performance. Tracking and reporting on students’ performance are two of the issues that almost all educational institutions face today. She feels that learning management systems and content portals like SkillSoft’s Books24x7 are the answer to this problem. At Sohar University, e-Learning was introduced very gradually. As the Course Coordinator and e-Learning Researcher, Lakshmi was able to introduce many of the University staff and students to a learning management system, through several workshops. It was not easy in the beginning. Unfreezing people’s mindsets, moving them to a new paradigm and freezing them again can be a challenging task indeed. The learning curve was quite high for people who were quite new to such a system. However, the students embraced the initiative and the software with open arms. e-Learning has brought Sohar University and its staff closer to students and the students closer to the learning process. They appreciate the availability of resources within the learning management system and can easily develop a learning path which helps them meet deadlines, get access to their learning topics and also communicate with their course coordinators and among themselves.

The senior management at Sohar University and the Faculty of Computing & IT was quite open to new forms of learning. Lakshmi kept in touch with Xpert Learning and after assessing their learning needs, Xpert Learning presented them with SkillSoft’s Books24x7, which suited their requirements and was subsequently acquired. Students and faculty members were grappling with the need to acquire more knowledge and needed more resources. Similar to the learning management system adoption, it was not easy to encourage the students and staff to use Books24x7; most of whom often cited time as a constraint. However, within a short period of time, Books24x7 experienced a growing number of users. This, anytime, anywhere, library with such a large and ever-growing collection of very useful book excerpts, covering almost every topic in IT, Engineering and Business is more than what we expected at the University. Now students are free not only to refer books that are mentioned in their course profiles, but also read books on the latest technologies and new research areas. Students browse the site from their mobile phones and a growing number of students are using Books24x7 more for knowledge rather than just to pass the course. The Search, Personal Folders, History, Recommended, Mobile Access, Top Titles and other features provide the much required personalization tools that endear Books24x7 to serious learners at Sohar University.

Contact Lakshmi Prakash at lakshmi@soharuni.edu.om

Xpert Learning turns over a new leaf

Xpert Learning, the leading e-Learning solutions provider of the Middle East, turned 7 this month. Ranked among the few fortunate and successful organizations which announced growth in 2009, Xpert Learning boasts a significant growth on last year’s revenues. Astounding success as it may sound to many, Xpert Learning has managed to keep itself level-headed in many areas of business.

Recognizing and following His Highness Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum’s vision of a Greener Dubai and in line with the Earth Day (April 22, 2010), Xpert Learning decided to take it to the next level by going Green and Eco-Friendly. All waste paper and tins in the office are deposited in special boxes for recycling. But this is not where Xpert Learning stopped.

Asim Saeed, a technology freak and a visionary employee at Xpert Learning, suggested that we must all give Dubai something back. According to Asim, it is unfair to the city of Dubai to billow smoke and all other carbon emissions in the atmosphere with air-conditioning equipment running 24x7 and monster trucks patrolling the 13 lane highways aimlessly; where water and greenery are scarce. Asim believes that we all need to do our share to not only reduce carbon emissions, but also increase oxygen supply by doing our small bit. So, one Sunday morning, on his 2x2 desk, he places a can, not larger than a Soft Drink Tin.

The tin contains a bean in a special type of soil and ready to germinate. Asim watered it for 3 days and a plant sprouted out. Out of the plant comes a bean with a special message on it… “Hope”.

    

The bean grows a few inches every day. It not only got the staff members at Xpert Learning excited about the concept, but people from a few of the neighboring offices and some delivery boys who come on a daily basis to say Hello to their little plant friend.

While Asim is busy booking orders for the beans, when asked to comment on this great idea, he said it gives him great pleasure to see the bean grow and shape up.

Since Asim’s bean is a beautiful little indoor plant, it requires minimum sunlight and water. Feel like trying one?

Contact Asim at asim@xpertlearning.com for more information and connect with him on Facebook, Twitter and LinkedIn. 

Saba Al Tukmachy: A successful change of career - From dental surgeon to e-Learning fairy

After graduating from the prestigious Ajman University of Science & Technology with a Doctor of Dental Surgery (D.D.S.) in 2002, Saba Al Tukmachy practiced as a dental surgeon for a few years in the United Arab Emirates (UAE). Over these years, she nurtured a particular interest in surgeries and treatment methodologies that could be carried out using cutting-edge electronic and high-tech equipment. According to Saba, her dental surgeon career was a childhood dream come true for her. Even if she spent a short period of time within the medical profession, she enjoyed the experience and gained exposure that would prove vital for her next steps in life.

A great philosopher, Frederick F. Flack, once said, “Most people can look back over the years and identify a time and place at which their lives changed significantly. Whether by accident or design, these are the moments when, because of a readiness within us and a collaboration with events occurring around us, we are forced to seriously reappraise ourselves and the conditions under which we live and to make certain choices that will affect the rest of our lives”. Similarly, Saba made a choice that changed her life. She took up a job offer from the Society of Petroleum Engineers (SPE) in Dubai, as an event, marketing and customer relation executive. Switching from a medical profession into the business world was quite a challenge for Saba but her determination and confidence allowed her to adapt to the new field with ease. Her job scope was a lot focused on building relationships, marketing, branding, advertising, event management. She also got exposed to various advanced graphic design software, online registration systems and Cisco-related online courses.

Following this step in her career, Saba joined Emirates National Oil Company Limited (ENOC) in 2009. ENOC, a wholly-owned Dubai government company, is a global energy group, operating 30 active subsidiaries and joint ventures, many forged with key international blue chip organizations. Its services range from real estate to retail, where an extensive network of ENOC and EPPCO service stations across Dubai and the Northern Emirates supply motorists’ fuel needs and include convenience stores, car wash and quick oil change facilities.

By the time she moved to ENOC, Saba was pretty experienced in online systems. At that time, ENOC had already launched a pilot e-Learning initiative with behavioral courses for its employees. However, this initiative was unsuccessful due to lack of buy-in from senior management.

With the help of Xpert Learning and using two of its main product offerings, NetDimensions Enterprise Knowledge Platform (EKP), and SkillSoft’s courseware library of key business topics and competencies as well as utilizing the marketing and branding techniques she acquired from her previous work experience, Saba re-introduced the concept of e-Learning in a much more fashionable way and turned it into one of the most important innovative modern learning tools within the ENOC culture. Since then, e-Learning has helped ENOC in its goal of becoming a large organization with operational businesses.  e-Learning allowed ENOC employees who work in long shifts and in external sites such as Jebel Ali and Fujairah, amongst others, to have access to training materials. According to Saba, e-Learning has been the much-needed solution to learning & development of their competencies online.

Besides the fact that e-Learning is a very valuable and cost effective opportunity provided by the organization, Saba felt that it has proved to be an incentive for many senior managers to try and benefit from it. “I, myself have enjoyed a lot of the simulations and the business scenarios I experienced through these simulations, and the fact that I can refer back to learning materials whilst undertaking these online modules, is really amazing”,  Saba enthusiastically added.

Saba reserves special plaudits to the Xpert Learning team. “Xpert Learning has provided us with the right tools that we needed at ENOC to make e-Learning a success. They have given us many great opportunities to meet with other clients and major companies, within the UAE and Middle East region where we’ve shared our success story at ENOC and best practices. Let’s not forget the continued technical support and customer service of the Xpert Learning team. The technical orientation sessions delivered by the team for our staff periodically has proved to be very useful to us”, said Saba.

Saba Al Tukmachy currently works as a Training Coordinator within the Learning & National Development Department of ENOC.

Contact Saba at saba.altukmachy@enoc.com

e-Learning Boat Captain abandons Dragon boating and chooses leisure cruising as an alternative

Dubai, April 25 - 26, 2010. Following the Dragon Boat Race at Dubai Festival City, Paul Michael Gledhill, Director and Co-Founder of Xpert Learning and Captain of the e-Learning boat (which came last within the dragon boat race), developed a real taste for the seas, besides his passion for e-Learning. Paul has enrolled himself for a boating course!

JPS Passenger Yachts & Boats Rental (LLC), a company based in Dubai, will be conducting the two-day Royal Yachting Association (RYA) course which will take place at the Dubai Creek and Yacht Club, in Deira, on the 25th and 26th of April 2010. The RYA is the national body for all forms of boating, including dinghy and yacht racing, motor and sail cruising, RIBs and sports boats, powerboat racing, windsurfing, inland cruising and narrow boats, and personal watercraft.

One of the great things about being on the water is that one never stops learning. The RYA is a leading maritime publisher, with some 80+ book, DVD and multimedia titles on its current list relating to all matters marine from Get Started books, books for children to more advanced pilotage and weather books and more.

Their publications are highly regarded internationally and RYA titles have been translated into more than a dozen foreign languages. They are developing special southern hemisphere editions of their leading training titles to meet demand from Australia, New Zealand and South Africa, and a co-publishing agreement is in prospect for the USA.

The two-day course content being offered by RYA is broken down into 2 levels, namely PowerBoat Levels 1 and 2. A description of these 2 levels is provided below:

PowerBoat Level 1

This course is an introduction to boating techniques for launching and recovering a boat from a road trailer, everyday boat handling and the use of safety equipment.

PowerBoat Level 2

This two-day course provides the skills and background knowledge needed to drive a powerboat and is the basis of the International Certificate of Competence. It includes close quarters handling, high speed manoeuvres, man overboard recovery and collision regulations. The course can be taken inland or on the coast and the certificate will be endorsed accordingly.

No matter how challenging the courses are, Paul is really looking forward to earning the certifications. “After tasting the water too much and suffering the aches and pains of rowing on the Dragon Boat, it seems that PowerBoat sports are a lot easier”, said Paul. “Perhaps, leisure cruising will be a less strenuous option than the Dragon Boat racing”, he further added. 

We wish Paul all the best for his endeavor. Aye Aye Captain Paul! May the force be with you!

NetDimensions User Day 2010: Save the Date

Xpert Learning is proud to announce that it will be hosting its first ever NetDimensions User Day Event on the 2nd of June 2010. This event is a first of its kind within the Middle East region and will be held in collaboration with NetDimensions, based in Hong Kong. NetDimensions is a global enterprise solutions provider of performance, knowledge and learning management systems. Its main offering is the Enterprise Knowledge Platform (EKP), which is a powerful, multilingual learning management system that manages the entire training and development process from delivering and tracking to testing and reporting. Xpert Learning’s clients within the Middle East region are active users of the EKP System. Our clients effectively use EKP for candidate screening, new-hire orientations, skill and competency assessments, employee reviews, career development planning, certification procedures, sales and service training, and much more.

The aim of the NetDimensions User Day event is to bring together current and potential users of EKP in order to:

• Share best practices, ROI and new innovations through interactive sessions and case studies
• Learn about success stories
• Understand the full functionalities of the LMS and make full use of these functionalities
• Learn about current trends within the LMS space and future offerings of NetDimensions and Xpert Learning

The venue for this FREE event will be advised within the coming weeks. The full event agenda will also be posted shortly.

To register for this event, please send us an email with your name, company name and number of seats required to events@xpertlearning.com or call +9714 4461219.  Seating will be limited. Please book your seat as soon as possible.

Paul Michael Gledhill, a visionary leader with a passion for e-Learning

Having worked in the travel industry in some of the world’s most exotic locations, Paul returned to the UK to continue his training career and development studies. He worked for the UK Government as Business and Training Advisor and received several awards from the Training and Development Lead Body (TDLB), and Lincoln and Durham Business Schools for Business and Training Counseling. As a professional trainer and an excellent presenter with a keen interest in emerging technologies, Paul started looking into the booming e-Learning industry. Paul is currently a Director and Co-founder of Xpert Learning FZ-LLC, an e-Learning service and solutions provider, based in Dubai and founded in April 2003. Xpert Learning works with the leading corporate, government and educational establishments throughout the Middle East.

Paul has implemented over 100 technology-enabled learning and development initiatives for the likes of FedEx, Siemens, DEPA, Nestle, Dubai Duty Free, Emirates National Bank of Dubai, Unilever, GUST University, Etihad Airways, Rivoli Group, Supreme, ENOC, Ministry of Bahrain, Dubai Airports, Dubai Chamber of Commerce, Emirates Airlines and many others. The successful implementations have helped these leading companies optimize learning efficiency through the use of innovative learning techniques and technologies.

Paul is also a provider of research centric consulting solutions that assist organizations to define, operate and optimize their strategic learning initiatives.

With thousands of learners on customized corporate learning portals throughout the Middle East, Paul has introduced a new modality of learning to an array of people from so many cultures and demographics. Learners using these portals range from blue-collar workers to white-collar workers to managers and CEOs.

In terms of his achievements, Paul’s list scales from SkillSoft Sales Person of the Year in 2005 to International Business Partner of The Year in 2008. He has been recognized by many of Xpert Learning’s high profile clientele and has been recognized as an expert in the field of e-Learning both in the region and internationally by peers both within and outside the industry.

As a pioneer of research on technology-enabled learning in the region, Paul has also conducted online surveys and collected feedback from learners and managers of online learning initiatives and has provided tremendous insights to trends and future options for the general public. A white paper on the state of e-Learning in the Middle East written by Paul along with two colleagues, Nabeel Nazeer and Riham Khoury, can be found on Xpert Learning’s website via the following link:

http://tinyurl.com/y24yk9a 

Over the past 7 years, Paul has been actively conducting round tables and has been hosting many conferences, most of which he was appointed Master of Ceremonies. Through these high-profile events, he has enthusiastically engaged participation and opened the minds and hearts of people wishing to enhance their knowledge using technology.

The main impact to the region of Paul’s highly avid initiatives has been the 60+ companies that, year on year, continue to work with Paul and Xpert Learning to enhance the working lives and knowledge base of workers throughout the United Arab Emirates (UAE) and the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC).

All in all, Paul is a very enthusiastic individual who is committed to promoting lifelong learning for people from different cultures within the Middle East. His passion has brought him success in the e-Learning field and with the growing number of clientele for Xpert Learning, lots of opportunities exist for him to share his knowledge to the masses and take e-Learning to a different level in the coming years.


Connect with Paul Gledhill via: 
Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/paul.xpert?ref=ts
Twitter: http://twitter.com/xpertpg
LinkedIn: http://tinyurl.com/y48bvpv

Xpert Learning set to participate in the 5th Annual GCC Nationalisation Summit

Dubai, April 25 - 29, 2010. The Middle East region’s longest running and highly acclaimed Nationalisation event is back. The 5th Annual GCC Nationalisation Summit 2010 is not just another HR event. It is designed to incorporate the region’s leading Nationalisation programmes and it will tackle the attraction, retention and development strategies that companies are now facing whilst arming themselves with proven solutions that they can implement in their future and existing Nationalisation programmes. This year, the event will be held from the 25th to the 29th of April 2010 at Arjaan Rotana Hotel, Dubai Media City, Dubai, United Arab Emirates.

The event will include speeches and workshops led by GCC Nationalisation industry leaders who will share exclusive best practices and case studies on implementing the latest techniques and programmes, challenges faced and successful solutions.

Paul Michael Gledhill, Director and Co-Founder of Xpert Learning, has been appointed as a workshop leader during the event. Mr. Gledhill has more than 7 years of experience in the field of e-Learning. He has been recognized as an expert in this field both in the region and internationally by peers both within and outside the industry. Mr. Gledhill has also been actively conducting round tables and has been hosting many conferences, most of which he was appointed Master of Ceremonies. Through these high-profile events, he has enthusiastically engaged participation and opened the minds and hearts of people wishing to enhance their knowledge using technology.

Mr. Gledhill will be leading an interactive workshop entitled “Sustainable employee engagement and empowering company culture”, on Wednesday 28 April 2010 (13:30 for 13:45 start – 16:45 for 17:00 finish with a 30 minutes break mid afternoon) at the Arjaan Rotana Hotel. An overview of this workshop, which promises to be very thought-provoking, follows:

Workshop Overview

How do you know if your employees are actually satisfied, happy, motivated or even engaged in their day-to-day roles? Do they talk about your organisation outside of the office – what do they say? This workshop will show you how to create an engaging, interactive environment that Nationals will find hard to leave.

By attending this workshop you will be able to:

• Build a company culture that engages all employees
• Look at programmes to empower your employees and to make them loyal advocates of the organisation
• Understand where there may be current problems and explore how you can eradicate them

For more information on how to register for this event and attend the workshop, please contact Paul Michael Gledhill via paul.gledhill@xpertlearning.com or call +97143910503.