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Recruiting UAE nationals
Careers Day brings together 80 companies and 2,000 UAE national jobseekers at Dubai Men's College.
- By Maysam Ali, Notes Staff Reporter
- Published: 23:31 November 29, 2008
- Students visited the exhibition to explore scholarships and look for jobs.
- Image Credit: Jeffrey Rossiter/Dubai Men's College
Away from the economic crisis and the job cuts all over the globe, Careers Day, a one-day recruitment fair held at Dubai Men's College last week, invited over 80 companies to meet Emirati students for work opportunities. Over 2,000 UAE nationals attended and met with government and private sector representatives.
The event was inaugurated by Ahmad Butti, Director General of Dubai Customs, and Dr Tayeb Kamali, Vice Chancellor of Higher Colleges of Technology (HCT), who toured the exhibition along with officials from the government and the college. The first stop was Dubai Customs, the co-sponsor of the event.
500 vacancies
"We have partnered with Dubai Men's College because we have good opportunities to offer and we are trying to attract high-calibre UAE nationals to Dubai Customs," Butti told Notes. He said that over 500 vacancies are waiting to be filled and that fresh graduates will best serve these positions.
"We have rigorous training programmes for fresh graduates so there is no need for them to worry about having years of experience," he added.
Student-company interaction
Students filled the corridors where the booths were located, approaching company representatives and offering their CVs. Whether first-year students or seniors, they were all interested in learning more about career opportunities and landing good jobs.
"I am here to get an idea about where I want to join after graduation although my graduation is not near," said Marwan Al Merri, a first-year business student.
Another first-year student, Mesha'al Mohammad, said he is interested in finding an internship. "I want to work during the day and study at night to gain as much experience as I can," he said.
Abdul Rahman Al Beshri, a business student involved in organising the event, said: "I am trying to find work in something I am interested in. I don't mind joining either the public or the private sector."
Ongoing recruitment
Although not all companies were recruiting on the spot, most of those interviewed said they are receiving CVs and have vacancies to fill. The bank sector was not an exception as representatives from several banks said they were still hiring. However, most refrained from commenting on the impact of the economic crisis.
"We are recruiting as business requires, but for the 2009 year, as students are still studying and will graduate in the summer," said Maheen Kamali, emiratisation manager at Noor Islamic Bank.
Students, on the other hand, said they are not threatened by the financial crisis because they are confident their government will secure jobs for them.
"The economic crisis doesn't scare me because Dubai has many opportunities so we don't have to worry about a thing," said foundation student Ahmad Khamis.
"I'm not worried about finding a job because we are Emiratis living in Dubai," said Rashid Al Muhairi, who is looking for a government job.
Abdullah Mohammad, a foundation student, said: "The economic crisis is worrying but exhibitions like these help alleviate any problems."
Company perspective
The Roads and Transport Authority made its presence felt along with other government and semi-government bodies. Notes spoke to its Human Resources (HR) Manager Basima Abdullah, about the company's job offerings.
"We have around 200 vacancies ranging from administrative to engineering profiles. We have a shortage of male applicants so we came to DMC today to encourage male students to apply," Basima said, adding lucrative salaries were being offered together with convenient working hours and holidays.
Some companies offer students scholarships while they are in university on condition that they join them upon graduation. AW Rostamani is one of them.
"We are expanding on that offering in order to recruit UAE national students," said Hani Masgidi, group manager, customer relationship management at AW Rostamani.
Several students said they were targeting scholarships. Abdullah Mohammad said: "I am interested in scholarships that can help me secure a job after I graduate."
A business and IT major, Muneeb Mohammad, reiterated Mohammad's aspirations. "Scholarships can help us get into the work industry faster, so we are screening companies to see which ones offer that," he said.
Fair impact
Some of the company representatives were DMC alumni who had found their jobs through similar career fairs.
Abdullah Hamadi, an applied communications graduate, joined the marketing promotions team of Serco, the company operating Dubai Metro.
Another DMC graduate, Saeed Al Falasi, studied computer networking and is now the HR manager of Emirates-NBD Bank. "I dropped my CV at a fair like this. It's a great opportunity for students especially when all governmental sectors come together. It gives undergraduate students an idea about what to expect from the work industry," he said.
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