Careers UAE closes on high note

'We have derived immense satisfaction from bringing together UAE national jobseekers, students and potential employers under one umbrella and the success of this event highlights our genuine commitment to the cause of creating increased employment opportunities for capable and talented UAE nationals,' said DWTC Director General Mubarak bin Fahad.

He noted that as event organisers, the DWTC effectively raised awareness within the public and private sector organisations about the importance of emiratisation by doubling the number of exhibitors from 58 in the previous edition to 117 in 2003. Careers UAE has evolved into a major driving force in the move towards greater emiratisation.

Participating exhibitors were unanimous in their opinion about the importance of sourcing local talent to meet their staffing needs, and the significance of Careers UAE in facilitating this process as the largest dedicated career fair catering to the needs of UAE nationals.

Banks, multinationals, IT and media companies, semi-government and government institutions all spared no effort to take advantage of the increasing pool of highly trained, disciplined and dedicated Emiratis who are set to begin their professional careers.

More than 14,000 jobseekers and visitors attended this edition of Careers, a huge increase over the approximately 9,000 visitors to the last version of the fair. Most participating companies reported collecting an average of 40-50 CVs in a day, a remarkable number by any standards.

Reactions from companies participating in Careers were uniformly upbeat. Dr. Howard Reed of the Higher Colleges of Technology said, 'The quality of the show has improved with every passing year and this edition is the best so far. It is the most successful career fair in the whole Middle East region. Participation of companies from various fields has been very impressive and denotes that they are taking the emiratisation project seriously.'

Dr. Jamal Ibrahim Al Hai, Director of The National Human Resource Development and Employment Authority (TANMIA), Dubai said, 'It has been a pleasure to be a part of the exhibition. The show has improved tremendously over the years and it is the ideal platform for employers and prospective employees to meet.'

The professional atmosphere of the show impressed Maryam Ahmed Bahlooq, National Development Manager of the National Bank of Dubai. 'We have received nearly 800 CVs so far and the quality of the visitors to Careers has improved tremendously. We have met a number of talented young graduates keen to start their careers with us.'

'The show has been well publicised,' said Maen Razouri, Recruiting Manager of Schlumberger. 'We hope to be back next year to see the same quality of prospective candidates and enthusiastic jobseekers.'

Marwan Al Marzouqi of Majid Al Futtaim Investments was impressed with the response at Careers. 'We got more than 200 CVs of jobseekers in a single day, which is simply tremendous. The show has been a grand success if you look at the response it generated.'

Careers UAE 2003, which was organised in conjunction with the Higher Colleges of Technology (HCT), TANMIA and Zayed University featured a full programme of workshops, presentations, discussion groups, industry panels and private interview rooms which gave exhibitors more opportunities to target their message to, and meet with, visiting students, graduates and national job seekers.