Upskilling the future leaders of real estate in the Middle East

Challenge

Our client, one of the key real estate developers in the Middle East, had an ambitious five-year plan to upskill their workforce and empower their people to achieve their ten-year growth vision. The client wanted to create a customised programme that would help upskill their people on competencies developed in line with the firm’s strategy - with leadership being a key area. The client wanted to upskill their leaders of the future who would progress to be the flag-bearers of the new mindset and culture and cascade it to the rest of the firm and future-proof their success. They wanted a training partner who understands their business and the industry they operate in, and has international credentials and relevant local experience - to bring industry knowledge to the classroom and to deliver it with a difference.

Solution

Our team co-created a customised upskilling solution aligned to the strategic competencies identified by the client leadership. We helped the client L&D team select 23 high-performing participants for this flagship programme through a rigorous process of interviews and assessments. On a 7 months journey with PwC upskilling experts, these participants developed relevant human, technical, and digital skills that would enable them to become future business leaders. Engaging through practical classroom activities, real-life case studies and gamified learning, the participants gained knowledge on global best practices and applied them in a regional context. The programme culminated in 5 capstone projects in which participants brought their learning together to present business solutions that were implemented and rolled out in the firm.

Impact:

The candidates found the programme exceptionally useful, as shown by the feedback score of 95% on their upskilling experience. The tangible impact of the programme was the Capstone projects - real-life business solutions created as a result of the programme, and implemented within the organisation. The client’s senior leadership, impressed with the feedback and the outcomes, entrusted us with upskilling the next cohort of their leadership development programme.

Masterclass in the Metaverse

The star of the programme was a Masterclass on Coaching - crucial conversations that candidates attended in the Metaverse! The Virtual Reality simulation included 6 scenarios between a coachee and a coach that helped candidates practice their coaching skills first-hand.

The simulation was responsive i.e. the outcomes varied based on the candidates selections’, and they were able to learn through experience by going back and forth to see the impact of their answers and how things can be done differently. The VR experience was immersive,bringing a real-life quality and novelty to the training that helped participants engage fully, without distractions and white noise. It also helped bring consistency in the learning process and prevent human bias and error. Add to this the novelty factor of learning in the Metaverse, it was a clear hit with all involved.