Graduates in the UAE have been told to manage their salary expectations and "follow their hearts" rather than chase the latest career trends to make their way in an ever-changing job market.
Leading businessman Hisham Al Gurg, chief executive at the Private Office of Sheikh Saeed bin Ahmed, a major investment group, said the rise of Covid-19 would change the face of the workplace in the future.
But he called on job seeker not to pursue quick-fix options, which may not stand the test of time, and instead build their careers carefully by trying to find work in a sector they are passionate about and have knowledge of.
“Don’t just go for jobs that are at the top right now. Follow your passion, your interests, and your heart," said Mr Al Gurg, who oversees investment opportunities in diverse sectors such as technology, healthcare, tourism and hospitality for the Seed Group.
Expectations are very high and these need to come down if you are a fresh graduate
"The job market could change after six months.
“After Covid-19, we will see a complete shift in jobs and many jobs will be replaced by machines. This will create new kinds of work.
“Don’t think that you can stick to how you used to do your job.”
Mr Al Gurg advised students they might have to temper financial expectations as the global job market slowly recovered from the impact of the coronavirus pandemic.
"Expectations are very high and these need to come down if you are a fresh graduate."
He said students were often not used to long hours of hard work required in private sector jobs, while most small businesses could not afford to spend a lot of time training graduates.
Sultan Bin Kharsham Al Ali, managing director at Ordino SBS, an accounting company in the UAE, also cautioned students against going for trending jobs unless they were passionate about these.
“Trends keep changing,” said Mr Al Ali.
“A few years ago, we saw that compliance in banking had a huge demand and everybody started getting certificates in this field.
“Now, half of these people are unemployed."
While he agreed it was important to the market’s needs, he urged students to pursue careers they cared about.
“A lot of degrees will become redundant and jobs that will be in demand will be very different” said Vandana Mahajan, founder of Futures Abroad, an education consultancy in the Emirates.
In the face of uncertainty, she said students would need to be resilient and think constructively.
In 2020, top hard skills companies were looking for included Blockchain, cloud computing, analytical reasoning, artificial intelligence and video production, according to the The Covid-19 Response Report published by the Oxford Business Group, a global business intelligence and advisory firm, and the University of Manchester Middle East Centre in Dubai.
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Tightening the screw on rogue recruiters
The UAE overhauled the procedure to recruit housemaids and domestic workers with a law in 2017 to protect low-income labour from being exploited.
Only recruitment companies authorised by the government are permitted as part of Tadbeer, a network of labour ministry-regulated centres.
A contract must be drawn up for domestic workers, the wages and job offer clearly stating the nature of work.
The contract stating the wages, work entailed and accommodation must be sent to the employee in their home country before they depart for the UAE.
The contract will be signed by the employer and employee when the domestic worker arrives in the UAE.
Only recruitment agencies registered with the ministry can undertake recruitment and employment applications for domestic workers.
Penalties for illegal recruitment in the UAE include fines of up to Dh100,000 and imprisonment
But agents not authorised by the government sidestep the law by illegally getting women into the country on visit visas.
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What is graphene?
Graphene is a single layer of carbon atoms arranged like honeycomb.
It was discovered in 2004, when Russian-born Manchester scientists Andrei Geim and Kostya Novoselov were "playing about" with sticky tape and graphite - the material used as "lead" in pencils.
Placing the tape on the graphite and peeling it, they managed to rip off thin flakes of carbon. In the beginning they got flakes consisting of many layers of graphene. But as they repeated the process many times, the flakes got thinner.
By separating the graphite fragments repeatedly, they managed to create flakes that were just one atom thick. Their experiment had led to graphene being isolated for the very first time.
At the time, many believed it was impossible for such thin crystalline materials to be stable. But examined under a microscope, the material remained stable, and when tested was found to have incredible properties.
It is many times times stronger than steel, yet incredibly lightweight and flexible. It is electrically and thermally conductive but also transparent. The world's first 2D material, it is one million times thinner than the diameter of a single human hair.
But the 'sticky tape' method would not work on an industrial scale. Since then, scientists have been working on manufacturing graphene, to make use of its incredible properties.
In 2010, Geim and Novoselov were awarded the Nobel Prize for Physics. Their discovery meant physicists could study a new class of two-dimensional materials with unique properties.
FIXTURES (all times UAE)
Sunday
Brescia v Lazio (3.30pm)
SPAL v Verona (6pm)
Genoa v Sassuolo (9pm)
AS Roma v Torino (11.45pm)
Monday
Bologna v Fiorentina (3.30pm)
AC Milan v Sampdoria (6pm)
Juventus v Cagliari (6pm)
Atalanta v Parma (6pm)
Lecce v Udinese (9pm)
Napoli v Inter Milan (11.45pm)
