Abu Dhabi University Faculty and Staff Lead the Way in LinkedIn Learning

Abu Dhabi University (ADU), one of the UAE's leading multi-campus private universities, partnered with LinkedIn, the world's largest professional network, to provide ADU employees access to the LinkedIn Learning platform. Now in its second year, the initiative is part of the University's continuous investment in a culture of learning through virtual professional development programs. ADU employees were given virtual access to a range of educational courses from the comfort of their own homes, allowing them to manage their schedules between working and learning.

Since the launch of the initiative by ADU's HR Department, ADU employees have completed 3,000 hours of training through LinkedIn Learning. In the first six months of the initiative, there were around 400 active users, representing 90% of the University's employees. This puts ADU amongst the top educational institutions in the UAE for utilizing LinkedIn Learning for the professional development of its employees. In addition, with 71% of monthly repeat learners, ADU is one of the top educational institutions in terms of employees who regularly use the platform for reskilling and upskilling. This demonstrates high engagement for learning and development opportunities, with 44 completed learning content per user.

Some of the top soft skills ADU learners developed through LinkedIn Learning include leadership, emotional intelligence, operational excellence, business innovation, communications, time management, teamwork, and diversity and inclusion in the workplace. These areas align with the University's ongoing efforts to invest in the critical skills necessary for a culture of learning and innovation.

ADU's active LinkedIn presence featured the launch of numerous community-focused initiatives that welcomed public engagement among platform users. For example, as part of the 'Investing In Our Community' initiative, the University introduced a series of online courses, workshops and educational events for teachers, professionals, high school seniors and students interested in pursuing higher education. As a result, the University achieved over 106,000 LinkedIn followers, becoming one of the educational institutions with the highest number of followers on LinkedIn in the UAE.

Professor Waqar Ahmad, Chancellor of Abu Dhabi University, said, "Our current partnership with LinkedIn Learning is an extension of the culture of lifelong learning and development at Abu Dhabi University. As a higher education trailblazer in the region, ADU turned the challenges of the pandemic into an opportunity to reach the community within and beyond the University. We will continue to grow our community of knowledge seekers, wherever they are in the world, by investing in the future generation of students and professionals through innovative and accessible programs and initiatives."

Rajai El Khadem, LinkedIn's Head of MENA Academia and Government, said, "It gives us great pride to see the outstanding learner engagement among ADU's community of learners. Closely tied to LinkedIn Learning's vision to empower every member of the global workforce to develop the skills they need to realize economic opportunity, our partner organizations can leverage our collaboration to foster a learning culture on multiple fronts. ADU is a strong example of creating such a culture, where content creation and e-learning are combined with the integration of LinkedIn Learning solutions into the overarching talent development strategy."

ADU also received the 'Workspace Transformation of the Year' award in the education category at the Future Workspace Summit and Awards held in Dubai by Leap Media Solutions, the region's leading content platform and the publisher of CXO DX.

Randa Al Saheb, Senior Human Resources Advisor at ADU, said, "Our efforts to launch LinkedIn Learning for staff development focused on upskilling and reskilling of our talent. During the pandemic, we invested in a digital transformation of learning for our staff to stay connected to the outside world of professional learning while working remotely. The Human Resources Department at ADU was very pleased with the continuous engagement of employees using the digital learning platform."

ADU, one of the largest private universities in the UAE, is a recognized world-class institution committed to excellence in teaching, student experience, research, and corporate education. The University continuously deploys innovative solutions and world-class practices to deliver quality learning experiences relevant to today's workplace.

LinkedIn Learning is a virtual educational platform that provides training courses related to business, technology, and creative skills. With more than 17,000 courses and personalized recommendations, users can discover, complete, and track courses related to their field and interests.