Dubai: The renewables and sustainability sector in the UAE is increasingly generating more opportunities and is expected to continue in that vein for the coming years, according to recruitment consultants.
"For the renewables sector in the UAE, jobs are definitely growing but compared to the numbers globally, it is still low to average," said Dubai-based Jean-Maxime Long, general manager at Allen and York, Middle East and Africa, a global recruitment consultant specialising in sustainability, energy and engineering jobs, including in safety and waste management areas.
The new Shams solar power project to be built close to Madinat Zayed in Abu Dhabi at the end of the year is expected to create significant numbers of jobs, he says. In addition, the new factory for photovoltaic panels in the capital will also create opportunities.
"A lot of new projects have been going on in the UAE. Until now it has been limited, but now it is definitely growing steadily and clearly," Long says.
The increased activity in the sector can be attributed to projects, in both the public and private sector, taking steps to be not just more environmentally friendly but also less reliant on fossil fuels.
"The emergence of the renewable energy sector in the UAE will bring with it a new spectrum of employment opportunity," says Lama Ataya, chief marketing officer, Bayt.com.
"This sits well with the preferences of an increasingly environmentally-minded crop of top fresh science and business graduates as well as many seasoned industry practitioners who would like to make a real difference and achieve real breakthroughs with their jobs and careers."
Increasingly competitive
Bayt.com has seen numerous jobs advertised in this field and expect to see more as this sector becomes increasingly competitive and mature both domestically and regionally.
"The emergence of this sector ensures further strides towards two of the strategic priorities for the UAE: to ensure a diverse and sustainable economy and move from a labour based economy to a knowledge based economy," Ataya says.
Until now the opportunities were not so much in engineering and design as, for many of these projects these were done by companies abroad.
Shams power plant's engineering design, for example, was done in Spain, according to Long.
But once the construction of the plants begins, all the site related positions will open up. That would include construction managers, department managers for mechanical and electrical divisions, as well as personnel for all the operation and maintenance tasks. There will be a need for engineers as well as maintenance technicians.
The local skilled personnel market is limited because this is a new field in the region, says Long. "We need to attract the best professionals from abroad, wherever they are based initially. That's a challenge because lot of countries are betting on renewable energy. So to attract the best professionals to the Middle East is a challenge."
Recruited
And that is why he welcomes initiatives such as Masdar Institute of Technology training students in renewable energy. One of their first graduates this year was recruited by PricewaterhouseCooper's PRTM, a global management consulting firm, developing its energy practice in the Gulf.
"This kind of initiative is definitely interesting because it will fill the gap between the huge requirement of skilled personnel and the low availability right now.
"It will take time, but things have been done and planned properly. So I am convinced the new graduates will contribute noticeably to the expansion of the renewables sector in the UAE.
"Given the projected expansion of this market, there's place enough for a training programme of this kind."
Lucrative careers in the emerging field
According to Jean-Maxime Long of Allen and York, a global recruitment consultant, there is money to be made in the renewables sector.
Starting at the top, a construction manager should be offered a full package anywhere between $150,000 and $200,000 a year (Dh550,965 to Dh734,620).
A team leader should start at around Dh30,000 to 40,000 a month, and more basic technicians at entry level between Dh10,000 and Dh20,000.
