Dubai: Graduates looking to enhance their job skills and work up the corporate ladder need to focus on seizing opportunities and to working on personal responsibility, according to key participants at the 10th annual Careers UAE fair.
"I am a great believer that it is up to the individual to seize the opportunities and they have to be prepared to work for it. Personal responsibility is important, [because only] then can you can get the support," said Gary Chapman, President Group Services and Dnata, Emirates Group.
With 711 applications received on the first day of the career fair, Chapman pointed out that the main attraction at Emirates Group is the company's reputation of employees being able to grow and develop in the organisation.
Each year, Emirates Group's target is to employ 500 Emiratis and while school leavers tend to apply for positions at Dubai International Airport and at the call centre, graduate trainees steer towards the outstation position of a regional manager, in addition to cadet pilots, IT and financial positions.
However, becoming a manager at an outstation position is not as easy as it may seem.
"We have to develop [employees'] skills on how to motivate people and not to get ahead of themselves. People need a well-grounded understanding of the business and depending on the role, we will provide them with the skills and training," said Chapman.
There are between 50 and 100 positions available at Dubai Airport, but the trend for graduate trainees is to work for three months and then leave.
"Achieving the target of 500 Emiratis per year is a challenge, but another challenge we face is keeping them. The main reason they leave is because they are unhappy with the hours of the shifts," said Nasser Bin Kherbash, Divisional Senior Vice President, Human Resource Development and Employee Services, Emirates Group.
"We have school leavers that require training of up to two months, but the more intensive training for graduate trainees can take up to two and a half years."
Nevertheless, Bin Kherbash pointed out that they are working on overcoming these challenges, which include, "making Emirati girls work the morning shift rather than at night."
