ABU DHABI // A group of Emirati professionals shared their success stories and discussed ways of coping with the challenges of pursuing a career with 100 university students, as part of the Emirati Youth Forum at the Tawdheef exhibition.
Manar Mohammed bin Talib Al Hinai, head of corporate communications at Invest AD, Khuloud Al Nuwais, chief sustainability officer at the Emirates Foundation, Fatma Ahmed Ramadhan Juma, senior associate, assurance, at PWC, and Khaled Al Amiri, a popular writer and columnist, were the students’ role models.
Mr Al Amiri said he found his interaction with young Emiratis inspiring. “There is certainly an energy and buzz around the fair this year, which I believe is being created by the youth rather than the participating organizations,” he said.
“Listening to their questions, there is a strong sense of empowerment and growing individuality where our youth want to take a leading role in shaping their professional lives.
“For Emiratisation to be successful, organisations must have a vested interest in the growth of our citizens versus simple recruitment. It has to be about how many UAE national employees are being trained and developed, versus how many are showing up to work each day.”
Essa Al Mulla, executive director of the Emirates Nationals Development Programme, said: “Right now I am glad to say that the short term position of Emiratisation is very good, with unemployment dropping from 10.7 per cent in 2007 to 2.6 per cent in 2013.”
Lina Hourani, corporate social responsibility director at Al Ahli Holding Group, said it gave UAE youth a chance to understand their career choices and development. She said: “They learnt from the role models how to build skills, understand professional needs, compete on the national and global levels, and arrange priorities.”
Manar Al Hinai was also impressed with the young Emirati students at the forum. “They’re extremely eager and ready to follow their dreams and ambitions and I am very proud of this generation,” she said.
She said that students raise concerns about proper educational platforms that would guide them on how to follow their dreams. “There are many such platforms in the country from government to private entities that helps in career counseling but perhaps they need to raise awareness about their services more.”
akhaishgi@thenational.ae
