When NYU Abu Dhabi graduates its third cohort of students next week, young people from nearly 60 countries will walk across the stage, shake the hands of assembled dignitaries and either head off to graduate school or ceremoniously enter the workforce. If history is a guide, rather than returning to their home countries, up to a third of those 134 graduates will be staying in this country to begin their careers.
More than six years ago I moved here to head up the Career Development Center at NYU Abu Dhabi and to pioneer a programme to ensure our students are employable upon graduation.
Six years on, 94 per cent of our graduates are employed or pursuing graduate studies within six months of graduation. Our alumni have gone on to study at Oxford as Rhodes Scholars, to start new ventures as entrepreneurs, to study medicine and law and to join some of the best professional firms around the world. Our Emirati graduates are serving in the military, running businesses, advising their government (and in one case, heading a ministry of it – 2014 graduate Shamma Al Mazrui is now the Minister of State for Youth Affairs).
Almost 30 per cent of our first two graduating classes are employed in some 37 companies in four emirates.
It’s incredible to witness students from all over the world come to study, live, and learn in Abu Dhabi. For many of them it is their first time in the Middle East, and it’s inspiring to see them grow to care deeply about this country, and to choose to stay and contribute to the vision and economic growth of the UAE. Class of 2015 graduate, Lan Duong, a water engineer at AECOM, is proud that “in 30 years, entire cities will stand on what are now my project zones.” I hear a similar sense of passion from graduates at just about every event we hold on campus, whether it’s the young man composing music for film, TV, and theatre, in Mexico, the young man managing wealth funds, or the standout young woman now developing business strategies across the GCC and Mena.
When I first arrived in Abu Dhabi, I quickly learnt that it would be no easy task to create a culture of career development to help our students gain the necessary professional skills, and employers to adapt to a new model of employer relations better suited to a liberal arts institution.
For our students we adopted a specific advising model. One size does not fit all at a liberal arts university filled with students from more than 100 nationalities and speaking more than 100 languages. We build relationships with each student, helping them develop their career goals and professional lives. We urge students to incorporate their skills and interests as they gain commercial awareness through internship experience and our services.
With employers we have worked to create a new internship model for the region. While NYU was well-known, the NYUAD brand was untested in those first few years. And unlike many universities, NYUAD does not award academic credit for internships, nor do we use a placement model to help match students to opportunities.
We worked with our students and local organisations to design an internship programme that builds skills and allows students to gain experience, rather than a direct means to employment. I think we can safely say that this new model is working. In the past two years our students have held over 300 internships off-campus with 140 different companies.
To be sure, the employment and internship market in the UAE is still developing.
Students, as guest residents when they study, have precious little time to find work once they graduate; immigration rules allow for a grace-period of just 30 days once visas are cancelled. Moreover, employers utilise something called a “just in time” hiring model, meaning that jobs are often advertised and filled at the last possible moment. Both pose challenges to graduates that those of us in the career services field must work to address.
But through partnerships and conversations with employers, NYUAD is working hard to ensure that graduates are well-positioned to negotiate the competitive job market.
This academic year, NYUAD hosted more than 20 employer information sessions to help educate students on employment opportunities and industry trends in the UAE. Nineteen organisations held recruitment activities on our campus for internships and full-time jobs, conducting more than 160 interviews. And in March, more than 25 start-ups from Abu Dhabi and Dubai were on campus recruiting NYUAD and non-NYUAD students for internships and full-time work.
Helping students gain practical skills by connecting them with internship and employment opportunities is just one step in the lengthy process to career success for alumni anywhere. But it’s a process that’s working, as evidenced by the successful graduates who are engaged in meaningful employment.
I cannot wait to see where the next steps of our graduates, the Class of 2016, take them. But one thing I am certain of: many will find themselves right here in the UAE.
Hazel Raja is assistant dean of students and director of the Career Development Center at NYU Abu Dhabi
Ibrahim's play list
Completed an electrical diploma at the Adnoc Technical Institute
Works as a public relations officer with Adnoc
Apart from the piano, he plays the accordion, oud and guitar
His favourite composer is Johann Sebastian Bach
Also enjoys listening to Mozart
Likes all genres of music including Arabic music and jazz
Enjoys rock groups Scorpions and Metallica
Other musicians he likes are Syrian-American pianist Malek Jandali and Lebanese oud player Rabih Abou Khalil
Specs
Engine: 51.5kW electric motor
Range: 400km
Power: 134bhp
Torque: 175Nm
Price: From Dh98,800
Available: Now
UNSC Elections 2022-23
Seats open:
- Two for Africa Group
- One for Asia-Pacific Group (traditionally Arab state or Tunisia)
- One for Latin America and Caribbean Group
- One for Eastern Europe Group
Countries so far running:
MATCH INFO
Burnley 0
Man City 3
Raheem Sterling 35', 49'
Ferran Torres 65'
Benefits of first-time home buyers' scheme
- Priority access to new homes from participating developers
- Discounts on sales price of off-plan units
- Flexible payment plans from developers
- Mortgages with better interest rates, faster approval times and reduced fees
- DLD registration fee can be paid through banks or credit cards at zero interest rates
BULKWHIZ PROFILE
Date started: February 2017
Founders: Amira Rashad (CEO), Yusuf Saber (CTO), Mahmoud Sayedahmed (adviser), Reda Bouraoui (adviser)
Based: Dubai, UAE
Sector: E-commerce
Size: 50 employees
Funding: approximately $6m
Investors: Beco Capital, Enabling Future and Wain in the UAE; China's MSA Capital; 500 Startups; Faith Capital and Savour Ventures in Kuwait
Health Valley
Founded in 2002 and set up as a foundation in 2006, Health Valley has been an innovation in healthcare for more than 10 years in Nijmegen, the Netherlands.
It serves as a place where companies, businesses, universities, healthcare providers and government agencies can collaborate, offering a platform where they can connect and work together on healthcare innovation.
Its partners work on technological innovation, new forms of diagnostics and other methods to make a difference in healthcare.
Its agency consists of eight people, four innovation managers and office managers, two communication advisers and one director. It gives innovation support to businesses and other parties in its network like a broker, connecting people with the right organisation to help them further
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How to help
Call the hotline on 0502955999 or send "thenational" to the following numbers:
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Killing of Qassem Suleimani
Match info
Australia 580
Pakistan 240 and 335
Result: Australia win by an innings and five runs
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ABU DHABI ORDER OF PLAY
Starting at 10am:
Daria Kasatkina v Qiang Wang
Veronika Kudermetova v Annet Kontaveit (10)
Maria Sakkari (9) v Anastasia Potapova
Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova v Ons Jabeur (15)
Donna Vekic (16) v Bernarda Pera
Ekaterina Alexandrova v Zarina Diyas
Match info
Manchester United 4
(Pogba 5', 33', Rashford 45', Lukaku 72')
Bournemouth 1
(Ake 45 2')
Red card: Eric Bailly (Manchester United)
COMPANY%20PROFILE
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'Avengers: Infinity War'
Dir: The Russo Brothers
Starring: Chris Evans, Chris Pratt, Tom Holland, Robert Downey Junior, Scarlett Johansson, Elizabeth Olsen
Four stars
How Filipinos in the UAE invest
A recent survey of 10,000 Filipino expatriates in the UAE found that 82 per cent have plans to invest, primarily in property. This is significantly higher than the 2014 poll showing only two out of 10 Filipinos planned to invest.
Fifty-five percent said they plan to invest in property, according to the poll conducted by the New Perspective Media Group, organiser of the Philippine Property and Investment Exhibition. Acquiring a franchised business or starting up a small business was preferred by 25 per cent and 15 per cent said they will invest in mutual funds. The rest said they are keen to invest in insurance (3 per cent) and gold (2 per cent).
Of the 5,500 respondents who preferred property as their primary investment, 54 per cent said they plan to make the purchase within the next year. Manila was the top location, preferred by 53 per cent.
The specs
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Power: 180hp at 5,500rpm
Torque: 250Nm at 3,00rpm
Transmission: 5-speed sequential auto
Price: From Dh139,995
On sale: now
What the law says
Micro-retirement is not a recognised concept or employment status under Federal Decree Law No. 33 of 2021 on the Regulation of Labour Relations (as amended) (UAE Labour Law). As such, it reflects a voluntary work-life balance practice, rather than a recognised legal employment category, according to Dilini Loku, senior associate for law firm Gateley Middle East.
“Some companies may offer formal sabbatical policies or career break programmes; however, beyond such arrangements, there is no automatic right or statutory entitlement to extended breaks,” she explains.
“Any leave taken beyond statutory entitlements, such as annual leave, is typically regarded as unpaid leave in accordance with Article 33 of the UAE Labour Law. While employees may legally take unpaid leave, such requests are subject to the employer’s discretion and require approval.”
If an employee resigns to pursue micro-retirement, the employment contract is terminated, and the employer is under no legal obligation to rehire the employee in the future unless specific contractual agreements are in place (such as return-to-work arrangements), which are generally uncommon, Ms Loku adds.
WHAT IS A BLACK HOLE?
1. Black holes are objects whose gravity is so strong not even light can escape their pull
2. They can be created when massive stars collapse under their own weight
3. Large black holes can also be formed when smaller ones collide and merge
4. The biggest black holes lurk at the centre of many galaxies, including our own
5. Astronomers believe that when the universe was very young, black holes affected how galaxies formed
The specs
Engine: 2.0-litre 4cyl turbo
Power: 261hp at 5,500rpm
Torque: 405Nm at 1,750-3,500rpm
Transmission: 9-speed auto
Fuel consumption: 6.9L/100km
On sale: Now
Price: From Dh117,059
COMPANY PROFILE
Name: HyperSpace
Started: 2020
Founders: Alexander Heller, Rama Allen and Desi Gonzalez
Based: Dubai, UAE
Sector: Entertainment
Number of staff: 210
Investment raised: $75 million from investors including Galaxy Interactive, Riyadh Season, Sega Ventures and Apis Venture Partners
MATCH INFO
Manchester City 4 (Gundogan 8' (P), Bernardo Silva 19', Jesus 72', 75')
Fulham 0
Red cards: Tim Ream (Fulham)
Man of the Match: Gabriel Jesus (Manchester City)
