HNI wins silver prize at Employee Happiness Summit & Awards
Accolade recognises best use of technology to drive learning initiatives
Leading regional learning and development consultancy, HNI, has been recognized for its pioneering approach to technology-based learning, winning the silver prize at the Employee Happiness Summit & Awards 2023. Founder and CEO of HNI, Hanan Nagi, collected the runners-up accolade for ‘Best use of Technology to Drive Learning Initiatives’ during the award ceremony staged at the Taj Business Bay, Dubai.
Honoured in the same category as industry leaders like du and GEMS Education, HNI was celebrated for its notable work to incorporate technology into training programs to help enhance the learning experience. Pioneering digital learning solutions even prior to the pandemic, HNI has built a reputation for using cutting-edge technology to deliver high-quality training programs through creative techniques such as virtual reality, gamification, and simulation.
Hanan explained, “Technology is a powerful tool that can transform the way people learn, and we have leveraged it to create engaging, interactive, immersive and personalized learning experiences that allow our clients to practice real-world scenarios in a safe and controlled environment. We have also invested in learning management systems that allow for personalized learning paths and real-time feedback. Our clients can track their progress, access learning resources, and collaborate with their peers and instructors in a digital environment.”
Hanan says the positive impact of technology use can be seen in the learning outcomes. She revealed, “By providing engaging, interactive, and personalized learning experiences, we have been able to improve retention rates and accelerate skills development. The results we have seen demonstrate the importance of incorporating technology into training programs to improve learning outcomes that drive business results.”
HNI were among the finalists in this year’s Employee Happiness Summit & Awards, which recognized companies across more than 20 different categories, with the aim of sharing and celebrating inspiring stories related to employee happiness. Staged by Plan3media, the Summit & Awards event was convened to spotlight organizations that truly embrace employee well-being.
On receiving the award, Hanan said, “We were extremely honoured to be shortlisted for this award among some of the leading names in technology-driven learning. To receive this prize is a testament to our mission to unite innovative approaches with world-class content, to embrace everything new technologies have to offer and to push the boundaries of training delivery to transform the learner experience.”
وقد استفدنا منها في إنشاء تجارب تعليمية جذابة وتفاعلية وشيقة ومخصصة تسمح لعملائنا بالممارسة العملية في بيئةٍ آمنة وخاضعة للرقابة. لقد استثمرنا أيضًا في أنظمة إدارة التعلم التي تسمح بتخصيص مسارات التعلم وتلقي التقييمات الفورية، كما يمكن لعملائنا تتبع تقدمهم والوصول إلى موارد التعلم والتعاون مع أقرانهم ومعلميهم في بيئةٍ رقمية”.وقالت حنان ناجي: “تُعد التكنولوجيا أداة قوية يمكنها تغيير طريقة تعلم الناس، وقد استفدنا منها في إنشاء تجارب تعليمية جذابة وتفاعلية وشيقة ومخصصة تسمح لعملائنا بالممارسة العملية في بيئةٍ آمنة وخاضعة للرقابة. لقد استثمرنا أيضًا في أنظمة إدارة التعلم التي تسمح بتخصيص مسارات التعلم وتلقي التقييمات الفورية، كما يمكن لعملائنا تتبع تقدمهم والوصول إلى موارد التعلم والتعاون مع أقرانهم ومعلميهم في بيئةٍ رقمية”.
Hanan Nagi, Founder and CEO, Human
Network International, with her team
Dubai-based training and consultancy firm, Human Network International (HNI), has announced the launch of a new branch office in Saudi Arabia, marking the expansion of the company’s footprint in the MENA region. The development will see HNI grow its portfolio of programmes delivered in the Kingdom, with a new focus on training for technology awareness.
With a track record of more than a decade in the region, HNI has emerged as a leading provider of short courses and leadership development programmes for government and semi-government organisations, as well as businesses across the GCC. The firm counts some high profile organisations among its clients, including Mubadala, DEWA, RTA, and SABIC, to name a few.
Specializing in the design and development of leadership and management programs, the company has trained employees at every level, from high-potential starters to middle and senior managers. Courses run for up to two years and provide practical and comprehensive coaching, with assessments and graduation projects. HNI also caters to fresh graduates, to help support countries with their nationalization programs.
Since starting out, HNI has diversified its training across a range of business disciplines and soft skills and extended its offering internationally, including in the USA and Europe. As it now establishes a presence in the Saudi market, industry-driven courses such as technology language, cybersecurity awareness, and metaverse are being added to the training portfolio.
The expansion comes as KSA drives forward its ambitious plans for economic diversification as part of the government’s Vision 2030 strategy. HNI has already played a part in training 2000 mid-level managers and future leaders for one of the world’s largest companies in the oil and gas sector. The firm now aims to support the goals of Vision 2030 to upskill the current and emerging workforce, to prepare it for the knowledge-based jobs of the future.
Speaking about the launch of the new branch office, HNI Founder and CEO, Hanan Nagi, said, “We have been working in KSA for several years and have seen a growing demand for corporate training that is benchmarked against world-class standards of content and delivery. Being on the ground here will enable us to support more businesses and organizations to equip their people with vital job-related skills through our growing portfolio of bespoke professional development solutions.”
The expansion is a significant milestone for entrepreneur Hanan, who came to the UAE from Egypt in her early 20s. Following an impressive tenure as Learning and Development Manager for TECOM Investments, where she was the first Egyptian to be awarded a prestigious Dubai Government Excellence Award, Hanan established HNI to fill a gap in the region’s training and development landscape.
“I wanted to establish a learning provider that could offer quality service with international standards, yet still understand the local culture, speak the language, and be cost-effectively priced”, Hanan explained. “We have since trained over 55,000 people from a wide variety of sectors, helping them develop core business skills that advance both their own professional development and the contribution they make to their organization.”
The HNI training portfolio has grown to cover a diverse range of subjects, from business communication and customer service, to finance, HR, marketing, procurement, and quality management. In addition to its geographic expansion, the company has established a dedicated team to develop training content using online simulations, video animation, and digital gamification, to pioneer the next generation of learning methods.
HNI has announced the launch of a unique, interactive training course that aims to help businesses understand the benefits and opportunities of the Metaverse. The new programme will help to build local knowledge and expertise in what is anticipated to be the next big technology platform, as experts predict its potential to grow into an $800 billion market opportunity.
The programme will provide trainees with a comprehensive overview of Metaverse technology and how it is expected to impact different business sectors. It will explore integrated themes, including the importance of blockchain and cryptocurrencies and the revolution of Web 3.0. The curriculum will also consider the psychological effect of the Metaverse and look to predict how the development of the Metaverse will play out in the future.
The new course comes as the UAE government looks to a new era of digital reality and human-computer interaction in the delivery of its services. Hanan Nagi, founder and CEO of HNI commented: “The launch of the world’s first Metaverse customer happiness service centre by the Ministry of Health and Prevention is one example of how the UAE is leading the way in this technology. Our aim with this course is to help develop knowledge and understanding of the sector, to build the capacity that will support this region to be at the forefront of this emerging market opportunity.”
Alongside the Metaverse course, HNI is also launching a customisable program in Technology Intelligence, which aims to develop trainees’ knowledge and understanding of next-generation business trends. The course combines theoretical lessons and practical exercises in emerging technologies such as blockchain, virtual reality, artificial intelligence, and the Internet of Things. It also addresses the application of automation, big data and enterprise platforms.
Speaking about the impetus behind the new programs, Nagi said: “These technologies are transforming our society, not simply in terms of how we do business, but also in the way we interact in our daily lives. At HNI, we have been incorporating virtual and augmented reality tools into our customised training methods for some time, and we see how it enhances the learning experience.”
She continued: “We know that this positive impact can be achieved across a whole range of industries, and with these courses, we hope to aid and accelerate the uptake of the technologies because they will be critical to the future success of the majority of business sectors.”
The new programs will reflect HNI’s longstanding approach to learning consulting, providing face-to-face, digital and virtual training solutions that are custom-designed to each client’s needs.
HNI is a learning consultancy organisation headquartered in Dubai. Specialising in designing and developing leadership programs for managers at different levels of their career, as well as recent graduates, HNI provides world-class customised training in both English and Arabic. Through its customised, face-to-face, virtual and digital learning solution, HNI supports businesses and organisations across the Middle East and North Africa, USA and Europe. HNI’s extensive portfolio covers a diverse range of business, management and soft skills courses, customised to the needs of each client.
