RAS AL KHAIMAH // Of the 18 campuses that make up the Higher Colleges of Technology, none have a better record so far for Emiratisation than the RAK campuses.
Twenty four per cent of its staff are Emirati, including six per cent of its teachers and half its administrative staff.
Dr Bob Moulton, the colleges' director, puts that down to RAK's high Emirati population, as well as a lack of other employment opportunities in the emirate.
"The proportion of Emiratis in the workforce should mirror the proportion of Emiratis in the population," he said. "Our short-term target should be 30 per cent, and long-term we should reach 40 to 50 per cent."
Each college is given a budget from a Dh10m central fund each year, to recruit more local staff, and the college's graduates are often first choice.
"Each year, each director is given funds to hire four Emiratis," explained Dr Moulton. That will cover the recruit's salary for the first year; after that, the college has to work out how to include the Emiratis' higher salaries in their general budget.
Emirati staff are vital, he said, especially in roles such as counsellors and teachers, roles that need to command the students' respect.
"HCT is 24 years old and we have enough people coming through the system now that we should have more Emiratis teaching and in administration, and soon as directors. We don't yet have any Emirati directors, but that time is coming."
Shamma al Naqbi, 26, teaches in the college's education department. Teaching the country's future teachers, she feels she is a role model for her students.
"The students need to understand that one day they should be here, they should be responsible for the education of the youth," she said. "When the expats leave, we need to have our own qualified teachers so there won't ever be a sudden gap."
Saeed abu al Reesh is a counsellor at the men's college. "As an Emirati, there is a lot more trust," he said. "Knowing the language and culture is important, especially in RAK where many of our students are from quite remote, traditional bedouin villages."
Many expatriate teachers use the Emirati staff as a go-to source of advice on teaching materials and lesson plans, said Ms al Naqbi.
"The students also feel they can come to me with their problems, even if it's a problem with another teacher," she said. "I can intervene and help in situations, helping to build relationships."
In Fujairah's colleges, about 15 per cent - around 27 employees - are Emirati.
"We have one Emirati who teaches for us and I think two who are at the G6 early management level," said Dr Dave Pelham, the colleges' director. "We are currently working with all of our national staff on career plans, so that they understand what will be expected of them if they wish to move up in the organisation."
He admits the process of Emiratisation has not always been smooth. "The funding for the project has been inconsistent," he said. "Also, there has been a bit of a focus on hiring people in as faculty or at the G6 level. In our area it is difficult to find people with the credentials and experience to be considered for these positions.
"What we need is support, financial primarily, for hiring people at lower levels and then developing them.
"At our colleges we have been able to hire some of our best graduates but they still are not ready to go into the classroom or assume management responsibilities because they lack advanced degrees or experience."
He says key to success Emiratisation will be help with developing the capable, dedicated people they hire.
Dr Howard Reed, director of Dubai Women's College, which has trained several Emirati teachers, said Emiratisation has its challenges in Dubai too, where more employment opportunities means more competition for talented young nationals.
"The UAE is a young country and it takes time to develop a cadre of well-educated and experienced Emiratis in certain areas such as college and university teachers and senior managers," he said.
"In a business-minded community like Dubai it also is difficult to get young people to want to be educators and to accept the salaries offered in education."
mswan@thenational.ae
Test
Director: S Sashikanth
Cast: Nayanthara, Siddharth, Meera Jasmine, R Madhavan
Star rating: 2/5
Specs
Engine: Dual-motor all-wheel-drive electric
Range: Up to 610km
Power: 905hp
Torque: 985Nm
Price: From Dh439,000
Available: Now
Specs
Engine: Duel electric motors
Power: 659hp
Torque: 1075Nm
On sale: Available for pre-order now
Price: On request
Top 10 most polluted cities
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NO OTHER LAND
Director: Basel Adra, Yuval Abraham, Rachel Szor, Hamdan Ballal
Stars: Basel Adra, Yuval Abraham
Rating: 3.5/5
COMPANY%20PROFILE
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Profile
Co-founders of the company: Vilhelm Hedberg and Ravi Bhusari
Launch year: In 2016 ekar launched and signed an agreement with Etihad Airways in Abu Dhabi. In January 2017 ekar launched in Dubai in a partnership with the RTA.
Number of employees: Over 50
Financing stage: Series B currently being finalised
Investors: Series A - Audacia Capital
Sector of operation: Transport
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The White Lotus: Season three
Creator: Mike White
Starring: Walton Goggins, Jason Isaacs, Natasha Rothwell
Rating: 4.5/5
Profile box
Company name: baraka
Started: July 2020
Founders: Feras Jalbout and Kunal Taneja
Based: Dubai and Bahrain
Sector: FinTech
Initial investment: $150,000
Current staff: 12
Stage: Pre-seed capital raising of $1 million
Investors: Class 5 Global, FJ Labs, IMO Ventures, The Community Fund, VentureSouq, Fox Ventures, Dr Abdulla Elyas (private investment)
The Disaster Artist
Director: James Franco
Starring: James Franco, Dave Franco, Seth Rogan
Four stars
How to help
Send “thenational” to the following numbers or call the hotline on: 0502955999
2289 – Dh10
2252 – Dh 50
6025 – Dh20
6027 – Dh 100
6026 – Dh 200
'Downton Abbey: A New Era'
Director: Simon Curtis
Cast: Hugh Bonneville, Elizabeth McGovern, Maggie Smith, Michelle Dockery, Laura Carmichael, Jim Carter and Phyllis Logan
Rating: 4/5
Company%20Profile
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The specs
Engine: 3.0-litre six-cylinder turbo
Power: 398hp from 5,250rpm
Torque: 580Nm at 1,900-4,800rpm
Transmission: Eight-speed auto
Fuel economy, combined: 6.5L/100km
On sale: December
Price: From Dh330,000 (estimate)
The biog
Name: Fareed Lafta
Age: 40
From: Baghdad, Iraq
Mission: Promote world peace
Favourite poet: Al Mutanabbi
Role models: His parents
In numbers: PKK’s money network in Europe
Germany: PKK collectors typically bring in $18 million in cash a year – amount has trebled since 2010
Revolutionary tax: Investigators say about $2 million a year raised from ‘tax collection’ around Marseille
Extortion: Gunman convicted in 2023 of demanding $10,000 from Kurdish businessman in Stockholm
Drug trade: PKK income claimed by Turkish anti-drugs force in 2024 to be as high as $500 million a year
Denmark: PKK one of two terrorist groups along with Iranian separatists ASMLA to raise “two-digit million amounts”
Contributions: Hundreds of euros expected from typical Kurdish families and thousands from business owners
TV channel: Kurdish Roj TV accounts frozen and went bankrupt after Denmark fined it more than $1 million over PKK links in 2013
If you go
The flights
There are direct flights from Dubai to Sofia with FlyDubai (www.flydubai.com) and Wizz Air (www.wizzair.com), from Dh1,164 and Dh822 return including taxes, respectively.
The trip
Plovdiv is 150km from Sofia, with an hourly bus service taking around 2 hours and costing $16 (Dh58). The Rhodopes can be reached from Sofia in between 2-4hours.
The trip was organised by Bulguides (www.bulguides.com), which organises guided trips throughout Bulgaria. Guiding, accommodation, food and transfers from Plovdiv to the mountains and back costs around 170 USD for a four-day, three-night trip.
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A MINECRAFT MOVIE
Director: Jared Hess
Starring: Jack Black, Jennifer Coolidge, Jason Momoa
Rating: 3/5
Other acts on the Jazz Garden bill
Sharrie Williams
The American singer is hugely respected in blues circles due to her passionate vocals and songwriting. Born and raised in Michigan, Williams began recording and touring as a teenage gospel singer. Her career took off with the blues band The Wiseguys. Such was the acclaim of their live shows that they toured throughout Europe and in Africa. As a solo artist, Williams has also collaborated with the likes of the late Dizzy Gillespie, Van Morrison and Mavis Staples.
Lin Rountree
An accomplished smooth jazz artist who blends his chilled approach with R‘n’B. Trained at the Duke Ellington School of the Arts in Washington, DC, Rountree formed his own band in 2004. He has also recorded with the likes of Kem, Dwele and Conya Doss. He comes to Dubai on the back of his new single Pass The Groove, from his forthcoming 2018 album Stronger Still, which may follow his five previous solo albums in cracking the top 10 of the US jazz charts.
Anita Williams
Dubai-based singer Anita Williams will open the night with a set of covers and swing, jazz and blues standards that made her an in-demand singer across the emirate. The Irish singer has been performing in Dubai since 2008 at venues such as MusicHall and Voda Bar. Her Jazz Garden appearance is career highlight as she will use the event to perform the original song Big Blue Eyes, the single from her debut solo album, due for release soon.
COMPANY PROFILE
Name: Kumulus Water
Started: 2021
Founders: Iheb Triki and Mohamed Ali Abid
Based: Tunisia
Sector: Water technology
Number of staff: 22
Investment raised: $4 million
