35-day training programme includes UAE road regulations, road familiarization, defensive driving techniques, customer service and grooming & hygiene -
Abu Dhabi, 1st June 2008: Al Ghazal Transport, Abu Dhabi’s leading transportation company and a subsidiary of Abu Dhabi National Hotels (ADNH), announced today the launch of its in-house driver training centre based in Mussafah.
The centre offers a 35-day programme of theoretical and practical training to Al Ghazal drivers and employees. The theoretical training comprises an induction course and lessons in UAE road, traffic regulations, customer service, grooming and hygiene. The practical training on the other hand includes road familiarization and defensive driving techniques. All new drivers are required to go through the 35-day programme.
The taxi drivers will also undergo a CERT (Centre of Excellence for Applied Research and Training) system training to familiarize them with the new taxi metre and the state-of-the-art tracking and dispatch device that was recently introduced by TransAD.
“We go by our slogan ‘We are driven to serve’, so it is essential that our drivers know UAE’s arterial roads, the reason why road familiarization is an important part of the programme,” said Ghulam Ahmed Mohammed Ahmed, General Manager of Al Ghazal Transport. “In addition to major landmarks, we will train them to be familiar with street names and numbers, small establishments and community institutions such as schools and clinics and the back areas of Abu Dhabi.”
The centre will also conduct refresher courses for Al Ghazal’s existing drivers periodically. “The new training centre has a new concept – to synergize our services with the development of the transportation sector, thus our training focus will not only be on our new employees, but also in enhancing the skills of our long-serving drivers,” Ahmed said.
He added that Al Ghazal will provide immediate refresher courses for erring drivers. The refresher course could last 3 to 10 days, depending on the nature of the complaint.
Noting the importance of establishing an in-house training centre, Ahmed said: “The new training centre will help us upgrade our customer services, complementing Abu Dhabi’s restructured taxi operations and for the need for a more sophisticated service. We have also upgraded our fleet recently in order to meet the growth of the transportation industry in the capital.”
The new training centre has appointed a team of eight qualified instructors who are certified in defensive driving proficiency by the Emirates Technical & Safety Development Centre (ETSDC), an internationally recognized industry training institution located in Mussafah, Abu Dhabi.
“We are also looking at hiring an English language trainer to improve our drivers’ spoken English capability,” Ahmed added.
Al Ghazal is one of the largest transportation solutions providers in the UAE with a combined fleet strength of more than 2,500 vehicles. The company provides special limousine services for VIPs, airport transfers, taxi operations, intercity bus services and car rentals. Its team of professionals works round the clock to ensure a pleasant experience for its discerning customers.
Abu Dhabi National Hotels was established 30 years ago and since then has grown in both size and diversity into a quality, broad-based hotel, tourism, transport and catering group. ADNH interests include a range of moderate to luxury hotels in addition to ADNH Travco, the company’s travel and tourism arm and its transportation business Al Ghazal. In addition, ADNH has a joint venture with the catering and services company Compass, covering its respective catering operations in the Middle East under the banner ADNH Compass. For further information about ADNH, please visit www.adnh.com.
