Advanced Construction Technology Services (ACTS) has emphasised the importance of having highly trained construction professionals, especially at a time when the UAE’s construction sector is seeing steady recovery after the slowdown in recent years.

ACTS, a consulting organisation in the field of construction materials and geotechnical engineering, pointed out that the quality of professionals could, to a large extent, influence the sustained progress and vitality of the country’s construction sector.

Meanwhile, ACTS also announced that it recently provided three American Concrete Institute (ACI) certification programmes for the National Marine Dredging Company (NMDC) in Abu Dhabi, UAE, complementing the similar trainings it has offered to major regional organisations such as Transgulf Readymix Concrete Co; Al Falah Ready Mix Concrete; Ready Mix Beton; and Etisalat in Dubai; Qatar Building Company (QBC); Al Jaber Trading and Contracting; Green point Ready Mix Concrete; Qatar Alpha Beton; and Geotechnical Group company in Qatar; and Fosroc; Saudi Bin Ladin; Sodamco; BASF; and Saudi Ready Mix in Saudi Arabia.

“The importance of training is often undervalued, especially in the construction segment. What we usually see in high growth periods is that people are too busy. While in low growth periods, the cliche excuse is that budgets are tight. In both cases, training is key to improving quality by creating more skillful and technically proficient construction professionals, particularly in markets like the UAE, Qatar, Kuwait and KSA,” said Dr Maher El Barrak, Head of ACTS Training & Consultancy Division.

Tarek Tantawi, Training & Career Development Specialist of NMDC, said: “ACTS provided NMDC delegates with excellent services which were tailored to the needs of our organisation.

ACTS trainers succeeded in creating training courses, which were specific and relevant to the particular needs of our corporation, and they facilitated the trainings in a way, which allowed attendees to interact, which can be applied to their individual roles.”

“ACTS trainers have also provided excellent one-to-one, specific and individually-tailored training and coaching to NMDC staff, which proved extremely beneficial.”

ACTS is the local sponsoring group of the American Concrete Institute (ACI) for its certification programmes in the Middle East. ACI is the world authority in concrete construction and produces the main building codes that are universally adopted in engineering design and concrete construction.

ACTS has been offering these courses since 1996, and has trained more than 5,000 personnel all over the MENA region and certified more than 2,000 in the various ACI certification programmes.

ACTS’ training division conducts regular training sessions related to the construction field and provides the trainees with the possibility to become ACI certified in different disciplines. They also offer in house and specific training courses which are tailor-made to fit customer needs. The targeted trainees for these programmes are engineers, managers, inspectors, technicians, contractors, and material suppliers. In some cases, even construction lawyers have attended ACTS training courses.