Lately, I have been meeting many new graduates from different nationalities who have been finding it tough to land a job in their home countries.
Those from the region are waiting for offers from government or semi-government organisations. One of them said that she has been waiting for an offer for 18 months from a government entity in her country, but with no luck.
“Government jobs provide security and better offers than private sector companies. I’d rather wait,” she said.
When I was growing up, many adults around me worked at government or semi-government organisations, and most remained with the same companies until they retired.
Government jobs are favoured in the region for reasons such as job security, higher pay and shorter working hours.
Therefore, it was normal for the children of government employees to want to follow in their footsteps, and some even wanted to work for the same companies their parents worked for.
When I met a pre-teen relative five years ago and asked what he wanted to be when he grew up, he said he would love to own a chain of restaurants. However, he couldn’t pursue that dream because his mother wanted him to secure a government job first and chase his entrepreneurship dream as a side business.
Our generation faces many challenges as well as opportunities that were not available to our parents.
About 85 per cent of jobs that will exist in 2030 have not been invented yet, according to a 2018 report by Dell Technologies and authored by the Institute For The Future.
As part of the UAE’s continuing mission to diversify its economy, the government is encouraging more people to join the private sector and start their own businesses.
Last year, the UAE rolled out a Dh24 billion ($6.5bn) private sector Emirati Competitiveness Programme, which aims to create 75,000 new private sector roles for Emiratis.
A few years ago, only 1.5 per cent of graduates were starting their own businesses. This rate has now risen to 5 per cent, according to Ahmed Al Falasi, the UAE’s former Minister of State for Entrepreneurship and SMEs, and now Minister for Education who oversees public and private schools and universities nationwide
While it’s positive to see more graduates starting their own businesses, there is more to be done.
The encouragement should come from home and educational institutions. I often hear from many young entrepreneurs how they’d love to start their own business but their family members don’t encourage them or they haven’t been able to meet role models from their community who have become successful.
Young children listen to their parents and often follow in their footsteps. If they don’t receive encouragement from home or educational institutions, then it can be more challenging for them to consider embarking on an entrepreneurship journey.
My parents' and my elementary teacher’s comments on my creative work and their encouragement to become a writer were one of the reasons why I pursue professional writing today.
Educational institutions should introduce young students to successful entrepreneurs from their local communities. Young children need to hear it first-hand from people they can relate to.
This could also be incorporated as part of the reading material and case studies shared in the classrooms.
Special programmes could be tailored for parents and success stories of entrepreneurs can be shared with them. They should also be aware of how entrepreneurship helps our economy grow.
My journey as an entrepreneur wasn’t free of challenges. But the knowledge I gained is incomparable and helped me grow fast in ways I couldn’t have imagined. I’m glad to be doing my part to help the economy prosper.
Parents and educational institutions have a vital role to play and their encouragement could drive our economy to prosper further.
Manar Al Hinai is an award-winning Emirati writer and communications consultant based in Abu Dhabi.
The specs
AT4 Ultimate, as tested
Engine: 6.2-litre V8
Power: 420hp
Torque: 623Nm
Transmission: 10-speed automatic
Price: From Dh330,800 (Elevation: Dh236,400; AT4: Dh286,800; Denali: Dh345,800)
On sale: Now
Specs
Engine: 51.5kW electric motor
Range: 400km
Power: 134bhp
Torque: 175Nm
Price: From Dh98,800
Available: Now
Spec%20sheet
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if you go
Getting there
Etihad (Etihad.com), Emirates (emirates.com) and Air France (www.airfrance.com) fly to Paris’ Charles de Gaulle Airport, from Abu Dhabi and Dubai respectively. Return flights cost from around Dh3,785. It takes about 40 minutes to get from Paris to Compiègne by train, with return tickets costing €19. The Glade of the Armistice is 6.6km east of the railway station.
Staying there
On a handsome, tree-lined street near the Chateau’s park, La Parenthèse du Rond Royal (laparenthesedurondroyal.com) offers spacious b&b accommodation with thoughtful design touches. Lots of natural woods, old fashioned travelling trunks as decoration and multi-nozzle showers are part of the look, while there are free bikes for those who want to cycle to the glade. Prices start at €120 a night.
More information: musee-armistice-14-18.fr ; compiegne-tourisme.fr; uk.france.fr
The biog
Favourite car: Ferrari
Likes the colour: Black
Best movie: Avatar
Academic qualifications: Bachelor’s degree in media production from the Higher Colleges of Technology and diploma in production from the New York Film Academy
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
if you go
The flights
Flydubai offers three daily direct flights to Sarajevo and, from June, a daily flight from Thessaloniki from Dubai. A return flight costs from Dhs1,905 including taxes.
The trip
The Travel Scientists are the organisers of the Balkan Ride and several other rallies around the world. The 2018 running of this particular adventure will take place from August 3-11, once again starting in Sarajevo and ending a week later in Thessaloniki. If you’re driving your own vehicle, then entry start from €880 (Dhs 3,900) per person including all accommodation along the route. Contact the Travel Scientists if you wish to hire one of their vehicles.
The specs
Engine: Dual 180kW and 300kW front and rear motors
Power: 480kW
Torque: 850Nm
Transmission: Single-speed automatic
Price: From Dh359,900 ($98,000)
On sale: Now
Red flags
- Promises of high, fixed or 'guaranteed' returns.
- Unregulated structured products or complex investments often used to bypass traditional safeguards.
- Lack of clear information, vague language, no access to audited financials.
- Overseas companies targeting investors in other jurisdictions - this can make legal recovery difficult.
- Hard-selling tactics - creating urgency, offering 'exclusive' deals.
Courtesy: Carol Glynn, founder of Conscious Finance Coaching
The Dark Blue Winter Overcoat & Other Stories From the North
Edited and Introduced by Sjón and Ted Hodgkinson
Pushkin Press
Cry Macho
Director: Clint Eastwood
Stars: Clint Eastwood, Dwight Yoakam
Rating:**
LA LIGA FIXTURES
Friday
Granada v Real Betis (9.30pm)
Valencia v Levante (midnight)
Saturday
Espanyol v Alaves (4pm)
Celta Vigo v Villarreal (7pm)
Leganes v Real Valladolid (9.30pm)
Mallorca v Barcelona (midnight)
Sunday
Atletic Bilbao v Atletico Madrid (4pm)
Real Madrid v Eibar (9.30pm)
Real Sociedad v Osasuna (midnight)
Notable cricketers and political careers
- India: Kirti Azad, Navjot Sidhu and Gautam Gambhir (rumoured)
- Pakistan: Imran Khan and Shahid Afridi (rumoured)
- Sri Lanka: Arjuna Ranatunga, Sanath Jayasuriya, Tillakaratne Dilshan (rumoured)
- Bangladesh (Mashrafe Mortaza)
