Dubai Customs has recently approved its educational attainment policy. The policy is part of the Department’s strategic plan to build the academic and professional capacity of its staff. The plan will contribute to the development of the Emirati citizens’ competencies and achieving competitiveness and world leadership in customs sector.
“Setting and approving Dubai Customs’ educational attainment policy is one of the most significant and leading projects of the Customs Training Center for 2013,” affirmed Nadia Abdullah Kamali, (Acting) Executive Director of Human Resources, Finance and Administration Division at Dubai Customs. She added that the project will organize the procedures for acceptance along with the facilitating the enrolment of highly competent Emirati employees in the program. This will encourage competitiveness amongst the staff and support the knowledge economy of the UAE.
Kamali pointed out that certain conditions and criteria were set for acceptance, in accordance with the best practices in scholarship programs inside and outside of the UAE. She elaborated: “The Educational Attainment Project includes various specialities ranging from information technology, business administration, executive business management, accounting, finance, law, economy, information security, to public relations and mass communication.”  Kamali added that the policy was developed in response to Dubai Customs’ current and future need of academically-qualified human resources, which may create leading investment opportunities and help support creativity and innovation within the customs sector. 
Educational attainment policy is a tangible response by Dubai Customs to meet the needs of its Emirati staff, who are regarded to be the actual investment of both Dubai Customs and the UAE. The policy provided a chance for Emirati employees to complete their secondary education together with university and post graduate studies, in addition to vocational diplomas, according to the following conditions:
-Completion of three years of service in Dubai Customs.
-Employment at Dubai Customs at the time of application for the scholarship (with the exception of those who want to complete their secondary education).
-For university scholarship, applicants must have passed their secondary education or its equivalent with an average not less than 80%.
-For post-graduate studies, applicants must have a bachelor degree, with the minimum score of “good” (with the exception of Dubai Government Excellence Program Award holders, approved by the Higher Committee of  Educational Attainment).
-For Ph.D. students, the submitted thesis must be relevant to Dubai Customs’ work nature. The applicant should not have been previously granted a study leave except in the case that the new desired certificate is higher than and in the same field of the attained certificate.
-The first study leave must be completed for not less than two years. A staff member may be exempted from the second condition if he/she has applied to be legated to study any of the unique or important specialities that are relevant to Dubai Customs’ requirements and needs.