Tanmia signs pact to increase Emirati employees in factories

Dubai: The UAE government wants to see more UAE nationals employed in factories as their number in the industrial sector is small compared to other jobs.

Tanmia, the national human resource development and employment authority, the UAE Ministry of Economy and Dubai Industrial Academy, the vocational training arm of Dubai's Industrial City, have signed an agreement to create opportunities for Emirati graduates in manufacturing businesses.

Tanmia will register and recommend candidates for special job training and provide career guidance, while the academy will use its resources for placement and training.

"Our common emiratisation goals will help us work together and achieve our target of providing suitable employment to hundreds of nationals in the UAE's booming industrial sector," said Ahmad Humaid Al Tayer, chairman of Tanmia's Board of Trustees.

The national employment agency will also provide the Ministry of Economy and the industrial academy access to its database of jobseekers to help them select candidates and find suitable jobs.

Beginning

Minister of Economy Sultan Saeed Al Mansouri described the joint effort as the "effective beginning of increasing emiratisation in the industrial sector."

"There is no doubt that national employees are the cornerstone in building this important sector, and they will play a key role that will benefit the UAE's economy," he said.

Numbers

Dubal a rare case

Being home to a huge expatriate population, the share of UAE staff in the job market remains small. In Dubai, the level of emiratisation is just four per cent.

Dubai Aluminium (Dubal) is one of those rare companies that have a significant percentage of national staff in their workforce.

Out of Dubal's 3,700 employees 22 per cent were UAE nationals at the end of 2007.

- S.H.