Under the first part of the agreement, signed by Sheikh Ahmed bin Saeed Al-Maktoum, chairman and chief executive, Emirates airline and Group and Rob Watson, Rolls-Royce regional director — Middle East, Rolls-Royce will provide a dedicated leadership and business management development program in the UK for talented UAE national managers within The Group.

Part of a long term learning program, the first modules, which will begin next year, will be delivered in two phases — firstly at the award winning Rolls-Royce Learning and Career Development Center in Derby, and then at Oxford University.

The training will cover leadership, team management, performance management and personal effectiveness.

Sheikh Ahmed said: “Rolls-Royce is a prestigious company with a long tradition of excellence and we look forward to working with them. The Emirates Group has a robust UAE national training and development program and we are keen to further develop this, utilizing the proven training expertise of Rolls-Royce. We have ambitious growth plans and to meet them we need to keep developing the talent that we have. This program will offer new perspectives and encourage managers to challenge current methods to improve our business even further.”

Rob Watson said: “The program we have designed is aimed at empowering future leaders with skills and experiences that will help them get the best from themselves and their teams.”

Rolls-Royce is committed to promoting education initiatives that enhance the ability of local talent to meet the industrialization and technological challenges of the future.

The content of this learning program is rooted in current business challenges and will give participants the knowledge and tools they need to deliver tangible results.

Rolls-Royce and Emirates airline have a strong, longstanding business relationship. Emirates currently has 128 Rolls-Royce powered aircraft in service, or on order; all of which are covered by TotalCare long term service agreements.