KPMG found universities must better prepare their students for the workplace and offer much better career guidance. Pawan Singh / The National
KPMG found universities must better prepare their students for the workplace and offer much better career guidance. Pawan Singh / The National
KPMG found universities must better prepare their students for the workplace and offer much better career guidance. Pawan Singh / The National
KPMG found universities must better prepare their students for the workplace and offer much better career guidance. Pawan Singh / The National

UAE salaries: Half of Emirati graduates 'expect Dh15,000 to Dh30,000 starting pay'


Anam Rizvi
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Latest: Top 10 jobs in UAE that will be in demand in 2021

Half of Emirati students expect a starting salary of Dh15,000 to Dh30,000 a month, a study has revealed.

The survey showed that 20 per cent of expatriate students expect the same, while 58 per cent aim for a starting salary of up to Dh7,500 a month.

The findings were revealed in the wide-ranging What About Youth? survey of about 11,000 students at 16 universities in Dubai’s Academic City, including Heriot-Watt, Middlesex and Wollongong.

Of those polled, 52 per cent were Emirati, 31 per cent were from Saudi Arabia and 17 per cent were UAE residents from other countries. All those polled were studying in the Emirates.

Universities need to get employers on campus and tell students what it's like to join the workforce

The survey also laid bare how poorly third-level institutions were preparing students for the real world.

Only three per cent of respondents said they had received formal careers guidance.

More than 60 per cent said they depended on family and friends for advice, while 17 per cent said they relied on teaching staff.

At least 70 per cent want more guidance while at college, while half said they would not study at the same college again.

Experts said shortcomings in higher education were contributing towards graduates’ unrealistic expectations upon entering the workforce.

“Universities need to really ramp up the role of career counsellors,” said Marketa Simkova, from KPMG, which ran the survey with Dubai International Academic City, and the Talent Enterprise, a psychometric testing firm.

“If you look at well-established universities in the Europe or the United States, the role of the career counsellor is paramount,” she said.

“Universities need to get employers on campus and tell students what it’s like to join the workforce as this will help students understand the gap.”

The survey was carried out in several phases starting in 2018 and finishing in early 2020. A follow-up study is under way to gauge how the Covid-19 pandemic has affected young people.

About 43 per cent of respondents were women.

Central to the survey was this lack of proper career guidance. At least 40 per cent reported they had never taken career assessments and only 56 per cent had a clear plan of what they would do after graduation.

But about 84 per cent students said they felt hopeful for the future.

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“Despite the Covid-19 pandemic, youth nurture optimism about the future,” she said.

“The research suggests that students demand more career guidance, and employers can certainly play a role here.”

Ms Simkova said employers could participate in university mentorship initiatives and graduate programmes that could help them tap into available talent pools early on.

Radhika Punshi, managing director of the Talent Enterprise, said there was a disconnect between employer, educator and student.

Schools needed to work with universities to help young people make informed career choices, she said.

“When you speak with employers they say youth are not ready and don’t have the skills,” said Ms Punshi.

“Students in general have high expectations and they don’t have experience around what work would look like. Their expectations are a bit naive,” she said.

“We often hear students say ‘I have learnt in a two-month long internship what I learnt in one year at university’.”

The most popular areas of study for young people pursuing bachelor’s or master’s degrees were business and management. But the survey also found that 21 per cent students were interested in science-based careers such as engineering, technology, robotics and artificial intelligence, suggesting the UAE’s space programme was having an impact on choices.

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VEZEETA PROFILE

Date started: 2012

Founder: Amir Barsoum

Based: Dubai, UAE

Sector: HealthTech / MedTech

Size: 300 employees

Funding: $22.6 million (as of September 2018)

Investors: Technology Development Fund, Silicon Badia, Beco Capital, Vostok New Ventures, Endeavour Catalyst, Crescent Enterprises’ CE-Ventures, Saudi Technology Ventures and IFC

The team

Photographer: Mateusz Stefanowski at Art Factory 
Videographer: Jear Valasquez 
Fashion director: Sarah Maisey
Make-up: Gulum Erzincan at Art Factory 
Model: Randa at Art Factory Videographer’s assistant: Zanong Magat 
Photographer’s assistant: Sophia Shlykova 
With thanks to Jubail Mangrove Park, Jubail Island, Abu Dhabi 

 
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Match info

Wolves 0

Arsenal 2 (Saka 43', Lacazette 85')

Man of the match: Shkodran Mustafi (Arsenal)

Recycle Reuse Repurpose

New central waste facility on site at expo Dubai South area to  handle estimated 173 tonne of waste generated daily by millions of visitors

Recyclables such as plastic, paper, glass will be collected from bins on the expo site and taken to the new expo Central Waste Facility on site

Organic waste will be processed at the new onsite Central Waste Facility, treated and converted into compost to be re-used to green the expo area

Of 173 tonnes of waste daily, an estimated 39 per cent will be recyclables, 48 per cent  organic waste  and 13 per cent  general waste.

About 147 tonnes will be recycled and converted to new products at another existing facility in Ras Al Khor

Recycling at Ras Al Khor unit:

Plastic items to be converted to plastic bags and recycled

Paper pulp moulded products such as cup carriers, egg trays, seed pots, and food packaging trays

Glass waste into bowls, lights, candle holders, serving trays and coasters

Aim is for 85 per cent of waste from the site to be diverted from landfill 

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The burning issue

The internal combustion engine is facing a watershed moment – major manufacturer Volvo is to stop producing petroleum-powered vehicles by 2021 and countries in Europe, including the UK, have vowed to ban their sale before 2040. The National takes a look at the story of one of the most successful technologies of the last 100 years and how it has impacted life in the UAE. 

Read part four: an affection for classic cars lives on

Read part three: the age of the electric vehicle begins

Read part two: how climate change drove the race for an alternative 

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Champions League last 16, first leg

Tottenham v RB Leipzig, Wednesday, midnight (UAE)

THE SPECS

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Power: 141bhp 

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Price: Dh64,500

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COMPANY PROFILE
Name: ARDH Collective
Based: Dubai
Founders: Alhaan Ahmed, Alyina Ahmed and Maximo Tettamanzi
Sector: Sustainability
Total funding: Self funded
Number of employees: 4
The years Ramadan fell in May

1987

1954

1921

1888

UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
Volvo ES90 Specs

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MEYDAN RESULTS

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Winner ES Ajeeb, Sam Hitchcock (jockey), Ibrahim Aseel (trainer).          

7.05pm Maiden (TB) Dh165,000 (D) 1,200m

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9.25pm Handicap (TB) Dh175,000 (D)1,200m

Winner  Lady Parma, Connor Beasley, Satish Seemar

10pm Handicap (TB) Dh165,000 (D) 1,400m

Winner Zaajer, Fernando Jara, Ali Rashid Al Raihe

McLaren GT specs

Engine: 4-litre twin-turbo V8

Transmission: seven-speed

Power: 620bhp

Torque: 630Nm

Price: Dh875,000

On sale: now

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)

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Distance covered: 160km

Temperature: -40°C

Weight of equipment: 45kg

Altitude (metres above sea level): 0

Terrain: Ice rock

South Pole stats

Distance covered: 130km

Temperature: -50°C

Weight of equipment: 50kg

Altitude (metres above sea level): 3,300

Terrain: Flat ice
 

Disclaimer

Director: Alfonso Cuaron 

Stars: Cate Blanchett, Kevin Kline, Lesley Manville 

Rating: 4/5

Dubai works towards better air quality by 2021

Dubai is on a mission to record good air quality for 90 per cent of the year – up from 86 per cent annually today – by 2021.

The municipality plans to have seven mobile air-monitoring stations by 2020 to capture more accurate data in hourly and daily trends of pollution.

These will be on the Palm Jumeirah, Al Qusais, Muhaisnah, Rashidiyah, Al Wasl, Al Quoz and Dubai Investment Park.

“It will allow real-time responding for emergency cases,” said Khaldoon Al Daraji, first environment safety officer at the municipality.

“We’re in a good position except for the cases that are out of our hands, such as sandstorms.

“Sandstorms are our main concern because the UAE is just a receiver.

“The hotspots are Iran, Saudi Arabia and southern Iraq, but we’re working hard with the region to reduce the cycle of sandstorm generation.”

Mr Al Daraji said monitoring as it stood covered 47 per cent of Dubai.

There are 12 fixed stations in the emirate, but Dubai also receives information from monitors belonging to other entities.

“There are 25 stations in total,” Mr Al Daraji said.

“We added new technology and equipment used for the first time for the detection of heavy metals.

“A hundred parameters can be detected but we want to expand it to make sure that the data captured can allow a baseline study in some areas to ensure they are well positioned.”

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
Most sought after workplace benefits in the UAE
  • Flexible work arrangements
  • Pension support
  • Mental well-being assistance
  • Insurance coverage for optical, dental, alternative medicine, cancer screening
  • Financial well-being incentives 
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