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Over 100 Emirati university students from across the UAE took part in the annual Emirati Youth Forum at Tawdheef, UAE’s leading Emirati career fair in Abu Dhabi today.
The forum kicked off with live-polling sessions where students had the opportunity to express their immediate priorities after graduation, expectations from the job market, and their recommendations for future employers.
Gaps in private sector offerings and expectations remain main challenge for Emiratisation. Not surprisingly, the majority of the students said they would rather work for the public sector over the private sector citing less annual leave, long working hours and lower salaries as main reasons. Only 20% said they would be looking to start their own businesses fresh after graduation.
Better salaries, more diversified benefits and international career options were voted amongst the factors that would encourage students to consider the private sector. Work outline and lack of career progression are the main reasons students look outside the public sector for work.
When asked about national service, Emirati male students said they have positive expectations about the impact it will have on their careers. Up to 38% believe that it will help them adapt better to challenging work environments and 25% said that it will strengthen their professional skills.
Addressing Emirati students, the Youth Forum also hosted national role models who inspired the students by speaking of their journey outside of the public sector.
Role model speaker Manar Mohammed Bin Talib Al Hinai, Head of Corporate Communications at Abu Dhabi Investment Company, said, “It’s my first time to participate in the Youth Forum and I’m extremely honoured to be invited onboard. When I was in university, it helped me a lot to hear about other people’s stories. We have all been in these young students’ shoes and we know how it feels when one needs guidance and we’re glad to be helping and giving back to the UAE community.”
Speaking to students in attendance, Khulood Al Nuwais, Chief Sustainability Officer at the Emirates Foundation for Youth Development, said, “These young people need to be given the chance to be discovered, and they need the opportunity to be guided”. When it comes to opportunity, Al Nuwais maintained that the most important thing is for young people to decide what they want to achieve. “They all have potential. They just have to discover what it is that really inspires them,” she emphasised. “I believe that each person has something unique about them with hidden talents that they might not be aware of. They need to look for that. If you have the commitment and want it bad enough, you will achieve great things.”
Emirati columnist, motivational speaker, and youth coach Khalid Al Ameri stressed the importance of engaging in dialogue with the next generation of Emirati talent. He said, “The young leaders of today have a responsibility of sharing their knowledge, experiences, and mistakes with the next generation who are about to join the workforce. It is the best way to help them understand the world that they are about to walk into, and how to best find their place in it.”
The Emirati Youth Forum is a one of a kind event here in the UAE, and gathered over 100 Emirati students from across the Nation's top universities and academies to meet and interact with potential employers.
Al Hinai, Al Nuwais, and Al Ameri have joined other Emirati role models and experts in a dialogue with the local students, addressing all the different opportunities and challenges that Emirati Youth face today, as part of the Emiratisation Summit, that is held at Tawdheef – the leading national career fair from 2 – 4 February at Abu Dhabi National Exhibitions Company.
Running for the 4thconsecutive year, the Emiratisation Summit is the most comprehensive national workforce recruitment, talent management, and career development conference. It will provide an essential educational and industry networking platform for the community to discuss practical strategies for attracting, retaining, and engaging top Emirati talent. The summit agenda covers the entire employee lifecycle that is specific to national workforce planning, featuring more interactive sessions that will foster discussion and debate.
The Emiratisation Summit is supported by Etihad Airways and Tanfeeth (Gold Sponsors), ICAEW and Etihad Airways (Emirati Youth Forum Sponsors), The Talent Enterprise and Pera Training (Innovation Partners) and ManpowerGroup and SAP (Exhibitors).
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