DUBAL aims to fulfil nationalisation goals through careers UAE

In addition to a large exhibition stand, where aspirant young UAE Nationals can obtain detailed information about the company and the career opportunities offered, DUBAL will host a huge drive to entice the interest of work-seekers.

This will take the form of a raffle-type activity whereby students register their names electronically, while submitting their resumés at the DUBAL stand, for the chance to win one of three great prizes - namely a laptop, an iPod and a mobile telephone.

'The electronic platform of the campaign will allow the information to be captured directly into our database, which we use to identify potential talent by specifying our organisational requirements according to age group, background, qualifications and skills,' explains Ibrahim Nassir, General Manager: HR & Organisational Effectiveness.

'A similar format was used in 2007, resulting in more than 3,500 job applications being received and enabling us to recruit more than 250 UAE Nationals during the course of the year'.

Nassir adds that DUBAL is a regular and active participant at the annual Careers UAE Fair, the event being an integral component of its National Programmes & Development activities, which aim to increase the level of UAE Nationals in the organisation through targeted recruitment, training, professional development and active succession planning.

For example, the company offers several training and career development programmes for UAE Nationals, including pre-employment courses in several disciplines, a work placement programme for tertiary students, a comprehensive graduate training programme, a scholarship scheme and a development pool that aids in career growth and succession planning.

'Dynamic career opportunities are offered in diverse areas of expertise, giving UAE Nationals - whether school leavers, diploma-holders or university graduates (holders of higher diplomas, bachelors, masters and doctoral degrees) - abundant personal choices across the full employment spectrum,' explains Nassir. 'Emphasis is generally placed on the core specialisations of engineering, business administration, marketing, information technology, human resources and accounting/finance'.

The aluminium giant's nationalisation efforts deliver excellent results consistently. At the end of 2007, the proportion of UAE Nationals among DUBAL's total workforce of more than 3,700 employees amounted to 22%.

Currently, the proportion of UAE National representation at senior management level is approximately 74%. These statistics compare very favourably against Dubai's average Emiratisation level of 4%.

Employee retention levels are also high across the more than 30 nationalities represented at DUBAL, with approximately 30% of employees having served at DUBAL for more than ten years and 10% boasting service tenure longer than 20 years.

'This is attributable in part to the attractive remuneration packages offered, including competitive salaries with yearly increments and an annual bonus; health insurance; a pension plan; a travel allowance for annual leave and scholarship opportunities for employees to expand their tertiary education,' says Nassir.