Dates: 27 April – 20 June 2026
Format: On campus, Dubai Knowledge Park, Building 19, 3rd Floor
Build practical skills, rethink how you work, and navigate change with confidence through a series of expert-led sessions designed for professionals, parents, and educators in the UAE.

Grow Forward — Free Professional Development Program

A free community initiative by Plekhanov University in Dubai
ABOUT THE SERIES
Grow Forward is a free initiative created as part of our contribution to the UAE. The series is structured into three tracks, each designed around real-life challenges and practical application — from business and AI literacy to communication and languages.

Choose one or multiple tracks and register for the sessions that matter to you. Participation is free of charge. At Plekhanov University in Dubai, we believe that access to knowledge, skills, and professional dialogue should be open — this initiative reflects our commitment to supporting long-term growth and development.
TRACKS
Choose your track and move forward.
Select one or multiple tracks and start building the skills that matter.
  • Track 1
    Business Innovation
    Explore how to make better decisions in fast-changing industries like real estate and hospitality.

    Designed with the realities of the UAE market in mind, this track focuses on practical thinking tools used in real business environments — helping you identify opportunities, understand stakeholder dynamics, and develop solutions that work in practice.

    Explore track
  • Track 2
    Family and AI Literacy
    Understand how AI is shaping education, communication, and the way children grow and learn.

    Aligned with the UAE’s vision for AI-driven development, this track is designed for parents and educators and provides clarity, practical frameworks, and tools to navigate these changes with confidence.

    Explore track
  • Track 3
    Languages
    Develop essential communication skills in Russian and Arabic for working in a multicultural environment.

    This track focuses on practical language use in professional contexts, helping you engage more confidently with colleagues and clients.
    Explore track
FAQ
Business Innovation track
Develop practical thinking tools to navigate uncertainty and make better decisions in complex environments. This track includes 2 expert-led sessions focused on real estate and hospitality, helping you move from reactive problem-solving to structured, opportunity-driven thinking.
27 April · 9:30 AM – 12:30 PM
Futures Thinking for Hospitality Professionals
Learn how to shift from reacting to change to anticipating it by applying Futures Thinking to real hospitality challenges, using structured approaches and AI-supported tools to explore trends and question assumptions. By the end of the session, you will define a concrete opportunity area relevant to your work and gain a new way of thinking about what comes next.

Outcomes:
  • Understand how to analyze trends and future scenarios
  • Learn how to challenge assumptions using structured thinking
  • Define a real opportunity area relevant to your work
28 April · 9:30 AM – 12:30 PM
Design Thinking for Real Estate Professionals
Learn how to identify the right problems before solving them by applying Design Thinking to real estate contexts, focusing on stakeholder perspectives and the tensions between developers, contractors, and buyers. Through practical exercises, you will move from insight to a concept that is grounded in real conditions and relevant to your market.

Outcomes:
  • Map stakeholder needs and expectations
  • Clearly define and reframe business problems
  • Develop a concept grounded in real-world application
Register now
Entrepreneurs and Business Owners
For those building or growing a business who want to approach challenges more strategically and develop solutions grounded in real-world insights.
Managers and Team Leads
For professionals responsible for decision-making, team direction, and navigating uncertainty in dynamic business environments.
Hospitality Professionals
For those working in hotels, tourism, and guest experience who need to adapt to shifting expectations and identify new growth opportunities.
Real Estate Professionals
For developers, brokers, and consultants working in a fast-changing market who want to better understand client needs and make more informed decisions.
WHO IS THIS FOR
Family and AI Literacy track (SESSIONS FOR PARENTS)
Understand how AI is shaping education, communication, and the way children grow and learn. This track includes 4 sessions designed for parents, helping you make sense of AI-related changes and support children with clarity and confidence in a rapidly evolving environment.
2 May · 10:00 AM – 12:00 PM
The Classroom
Explore how AI is already integrated into your child’s school experience, from writing and summarizing to preparing presentations, and understand what this means for learning outcomes. This session helps you identify both the benefits and the risks, and gives you the language to have informed conversations with schools and teachers.

Outcomes:
  • Understand how AI is used in modern classrooms
  • Identify key benefits and risks for learning
  • Learn how to discuss AI use with educators
16 May · 10:00 AM – 12:00 PM
The Emotional Space
Understand why children increasingly turn to AI for emotional interaction and what this means for their development, communication, and relationships. This session explores the role of AI companions and gives you practical ways to approach conversations about emotional connection and technology.

Outcomes:
  • Understand how AI affects emotional development
  • Identify risks of replacing human interaction
  • Learn how to start meaningful conversations with children
6 June · 10:00 AM – 12:00 PM
The Creative Space
Explore how AI is changing the way children create — from writing and music to visual content — and what this means for originality and ownership. This session helps you rethink creativity in an AI-driven world and understand how to support it without limiting your child’s potential.

Outcomes:
  • Understand how AI impacts creativity
  • Explore questions of authorship and originality
  • Learn how to support creative development
20 June · 10:00 AM – 12:00 PM
The Future Landscape
Move beyond headlines and explore what research actually says about AI and the future of work, focusing on what skills remain valuable and what is changing. This session helps you make more grounded decisions about what to prioritize in your child’s development today.

Outcomes:
  • Understand real trends in AI and the future of work
  • Identify skills that will remain valuable
  • Learn how to support long-term development
Register now
Family and AI Literacy track (SESSIONS FOR TEACHERS)
Understand how AI is shaping education, communication, and the way children grow and learn. This track includes 2 sessions designed for educators, helping you make sense of AI-related changes and support children with clarity and confidence in a rapidly evolving environment.
8 May · 5:00 PM – 7:00 PM
AI Tools for Feedback
Discover how AI can support one of the most time-intensive parts of teaching — giving feedback — while maintaining quality and personal engagement. This session introduces practical tools and approaches that help you save time without losing control over the learning process.

Outcomes:
  • Explore AI tools for feedback and evaluation
  • Learn how to maintain quality and personalization
  • Understand how to use AI responsibly in education
15 May · 5:00 PM – 7:00 PM
AI Detection
Understand the challenges of identifying AI-generated work and why reliable detection is becoming increasingly difficult. This session focuses on practical strategies for working with AI in learning environments, including how to design tasks that encourage authentic student work.

Outcomes:
  • Understand limitations of AI detection
  • Explore tools and their effectiveness
  • Learn how to design AI-aware learning tasks
Register now
Professionals Working with Children
For tutors, mentors, and specialists who want to better understand how AI impacts development, creativity, and interaction.
School Leaders and Administrators
For those shaping educational environments and policies who need a clearer perspective on how AI is changing learning systems.
Educators and Teachers
For professionals working in education who are navigating AI in the classroom and looking for practical ways to integrate it without losing quality or control.
Parents
For those who want to better understand how AI is influencing their child’s learning, behavior, and communication — and how to respond to it thoughtfully.
WHO IS THIS FOR
Languages TRACK
Develop practical communication skills in Russian and Arabic to work more confidently in the UAE’s multicultural environment. This track is divided into two directions — Business Arabic and Business Russian — with 2 sessions in each, helping you strengthen everyday professional communication, navigate cross-cultural interaction, and build confidence in real business situations.
Session 1 —Arabic for business essentials
7 May · 5:00 PM – 7:00 PM
basic Arabic for business
Build a practical foundation in Arabic for professional communication by learning essential greetings, key phrases, and common expressions used in workplace interactions across the UAE. This session introduces language you can start using immediately while also helping you understand the cultural context behind business communication in Arabic.

Outcomes:
  • Use key greetings and professional phrases in Arabic
  • Understand basic communication etiquette in the UAE
  • Feel more confident in everyday workplace interactions
Session 2 — Arabic for business in Practice
14 May · 5:00 PM – 7:00 PM
basic Arabic for business
Continue developing your Arabic communication skills through more applied business situations, with a focus on confidence, repetition, and practical usage in professional settings. This session helps you move from isolated phrases to more natural interaction with colleagues, clients, and partners.

Outcomes:
  • Apply Arabic phrases in practical business contexts
  • Improve confidence in workplace communication
  • Strengthen understanding through guided practice
Session 1 —russian for business Essentials
4 June · 5:00 PM – 7:00 PM
basic russian for business
Strengthen your Russian for professional communication by focusing on clear, effective language used in international business environments. This session helps you improve how you speak and respond in common workplace situations, from introductions to day-to-day professional interaction.

Outcomes:
  • Improve clarity in professional communication
  • Use more confident and natural business Russian
  • Navigate common workplace situations more effectively
Session 2 — russian for business in Practice
11 June · 5:00 PM – 7:00 PM
basic russian for business
Build on the first session by applying Russian more confidently in practical business contexts, with attention to tone, structure, and cross-cultural communication. This session is designed to help you sound more professional, communicate your ideas more clearly, and feel more prepared in real interactions.

Outcomes:
  • Practice Russian in realistic professional situations
  • Improve tone and confidence in communication
  • Communicate more effectively in multicultural settings
Register now
Business Owners and Entrepreneurs
For those building relationships with clients, partners, and teams from different cultural and language backgrounds.
Expats in the UAE
For those adapting to life and work in a multicultural environment and wanting to better understand local communication norms.
Client-Facing Roles
For professionals working in sales, marketing, admissions, customer service, or partnerships who interact with diverse audiences every day.
Young Professionals
For those starting or growing their careers in the UAE and looking to communicate more confidently in a professional environment.
WHO IS THIS FOR
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