Tanmia job seekers impress prospective employers

36 young people in Dubai and 18 in Sharjah took the intensive, 6-week/150 hour course with the British Council, which was designed to enhance the trainees' attractiveness to employers by building their English language and soft communications skills. At last week's graduation ceremony in Dubai, Tanmia arranged for trainees to meet with several Tanmia-registered companies (including Mashreq Bank, Galadari Group, Azal Group, Hilti, Peri and Liberty Investment Company) for them to assess the qualities of the candidates.

The representative from the Azal Group was impressed by the Tanmia trainees' enthusiasm: "All the students we met were enthusiastic about retailing and were looking for an opportunity to show their commitment to work."

"We are looking to inspire nationals and to talk about opportunities at the bank," said the representative from Mashreq Bank. "The bank offers many opportunities through our career development programme and we are working with Tanmia to achieve this."

Another prospective employer added: "It's good to hear about what nationals are looking for from employers and to find out more about what these young people are capable of. It was a helpful experience and interesting to see how their English had developed."

Speaking at the graduation ceremony, Nick Boddy, Country Examinations Manager for the UAE and Oman at the British Council, said: "Every young person has a dream and for many young UAE nationals, fulfilling that dream is dependent upon finding a job. Tanmia's pioneering 'Maharat' skills development programme is proving to be highly successful in preparing young Emiratis for the workplace. The British Council is delighted to be supporting this programme through courses tailored to the needs of these young people which aim to raise the level of English language and soft skills - such as communications, interviewing and behavioural skills - to meet the demands of employers and help facilitate their entry into the workplace.

"English language and the ability to communicate effectively are fundamental workplace skills and we aim to develop the competence and, importantly, the confidence of these young UAE men and women to help them make a successful transition to the workplace," he added.

Ayesh Al-Barguthi - Director- Employment and Skills Development Center, Tanmia. "This partnership between Tanmia and the British Council has empowered these trainees with the required language skills to realise their true potential at the workplace and effectively find a place at today's challenging market.