Abu Dhabi: Come October, and a female Emirati graduate will showcase her skills and talent in air-conditioning and refrigeration, while a male student will compete against his peers in floristry. Both competing in the World Skills Abu Dhabi 2017 competition, the two competitors will represent a growing number of young Emiratis who are passionate about a wide array of vocational skills.
Although vocational skills have long had a bad rap, more and more young people are coming to understand their value in the UAE’s post-oil era, said Ali Al Marzouqi, president of Emirates Skills, which organises a UAE-wide vocational skills contest every year. Emirates Skills is part of the Abu Dhabi Centre for Technical and Vocational Education and Training, which regulates vocational learning and experience in the emirate of Abu Dhabi.
“These skills competitions create an interest in vocational careers. In turn, young Emiratis with these skills will be able to support the UAE’s various industries, or even explore entrepreneurial opportunities related to their vocations,” Al Marzouqi told Gulf News.
He was speaking in the run-up to the World Skills 2017, a biennial competition that will be held in the UAE for the first time. The four-day event is one of the world’s foremost vocational skills competitions, and in its 44th edition this year, it will see more than 1,300 participants from 77 countries. They will compete in 51 skill categories, including aircraft maintenance, cooking, stone masonry, carpentry and IT solutions.
The UAE team itself has about 30 competitors, aged between 14 and 22 years, including students who will participate in categories as diverse as bakery and jewellery design. They have been chosen based on their stellar performances in the 2016 and 2017 editions of the Emirates Skills contests.
“We have much talent in vocational skills, and in 2007, the very first year that the UAE sent a team to World Skills, we won a silver medal in one of the categories — health and social care. Our competitors also won prizes of excellence in IT software solutions in 2011, and in graphic design in 2013,” Al Marzouqi said.
Many competitors have also gone on to become notable names in their respective fields, the official added. Mohammad Al Shamsi, a nervous contestant in World Skills 2007, went on to establish the Emirates Robotics Club, as well as his own robotics company, RoboHiTec. He has said that participating in the competition helped him understand the demand for and relevance of his skills.
More than 100,000 visitors are expected to attend World Skills 2017, which will take place from October 15 to 18. On each day, competitors will be assigned specific tasks to compete, and winners will go on to receive prestigious medals.
