50 UAE students benefit from summer training at DUBAL

The programme, which this year ran for the months of July and August, serves two primary purposes:
• It helps realise the vision of H.H Sheikh Hamdan bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Deputy Ruler of Dubai, the UAE Minister of Finance & Industry and Chairman of DUBAL, to raise the standards of professionalism among young UAE Nationals as a means to accelerate the prosperity of the entire nation; and
• It contributes to DUBAL's ongoing corporate Emiratisation strategy by raising awareness and understanding of DUBAL's business.

Ibrahim Nasser, General Manager: Human Resources and Organisation Effectiveness at DUBAL, reports that the participating students were selected from several educational institutions, including various industrial schools in Dubai and Sharjah, Al Ain University, the Higher College of Technology, and the American University of Dubai. Each of the 50 trainees was assigned to one of DUBAL's diverse divisions according to their respective qualifications, educational standards and relevant skills. During the two-month period, the students were given comprehensive and in-depth insights into DUBAL's major operations and facilities, plus instruction on technical functions and administrative tasks."

"Each year, DUBAL also uses the Summer Training programme to identify the students with the most potential, with a view to offering the employment opportunities," says Mr Nasser. "The success of this approach is such that many students who have attended the programme in the past currently hold senior positions within the company. In fact, some 70 percent of executive management positions are filled by UAE Nationals at present. Through this and other initiatives, we aim to recruit a total of 220 Emirati people to DUBAL during 2007."

The programme culminated in a ceremony on 23 August 2007 at which participation certificates and gifts were presented. "The students expressed positive sentiments regarding the experience, saying that the new skills acquired will benefit them as they continue their studies as well as in their working careers," says Mr Nasser. "As importantly, from a corporate perspective, they left with a better understanding and enhanced perceptions of DUBAL, which we believe will encourage more UAE Nationals to consider heavy industry as a promising career option."