Tanmia to help pay stipend of trainees in private sector

The National Human Resource Development and Employment Authority (Tanmia) will pay the training cost of UAE trainees and share the payment of their remuneration during on-job training offered by potential partners in the private sector.

During a forum with potential employers yesterday, Tanmia offered to enter into an effective partnership with businesses whereby it will nominate suitable candidates, liaise with employers to identify job requirements, develop training programmes, co-invest in training and payment of stipends to trainees.

Dr Abdul Rahman Al Awar, Director General of Tanmia, said potential partners are expected to offer jobs and on-the-job-training opportunities to a minimum of 150 UAE candidates. Employers present in the forum offered around 120 on-the-job training opportunities.

"Tanmia will also liaise with potential employers to select appropriate training providers, provide adequate monitoring of the training programmes and offer a system of post-employment follow-up of job-seekers.

"Employers should seize this opportunity because what is optional now will sooner or later become obligatory. With the UAE national workforce in the private sector accounts for only two per cent, the government will have no choice but to intervene to redress this situation.

"Tanmia has another challenge – 70 per cent of registered jobseekers are female and only 30 per cent are men. Certain employers would prefer employing men for various reasons.

"Employers are expected to provide Tanmia with detailed requirements for specific job openings, including job title, educational level, gender, etc for direct placements. They should select from among candidates named by Tanmia to participate in general training for not more than four months and on-job-training in different occupations for not more than three months.

"They should also collaborate with Tanmia to identify skill/competency gap and design appropriate training programmes, co-invest in the training of candidates and provide post-employment feedback to Tanmia," Dr Al Awar said.

"Our expectations today are transparency on employment requirement, building close relationship with Tanmia's offices, signing off memorandum of understanding (MoU) and providing national manpower forecast".

Dr Al Awar said: "The forum is meant to help our partners to understand Tanmia's role and mission, communicate Tanmia's objectives and goals and to solicit ideas and suggestions to help achieve effective business partnership and secure employment and on the job training (OJT) opportunities."