New council will encourage Emiratis in private sector
New advisory body could be up and running by summer
ABU DHABI // Emirati students will be able to learn about jobs in the private sector through a council being set up by the Ministry of Higher Education.
The aim is to increase the number of Emiratis in the sector to help secure the UAE’s future, said Dr Ahmad Belhoul, Minister of State for Higher Education.
“We need to be able to graduate students with skills relevant to the private sector, so the council will have private sector representatives from different industries that will at least be a sounding board,” he said.
“I’m not a believer in imposing Emiratisation. I’m a big believer in graduating the right talent that will be sought after by the private sector.”
The council could be set up by May or June and the ministry has made partnerships with companies. The move is considered the first of many to encourage Emiratis into the private sector and from being job seekers to job creators, Dr Belhoul said. The ministry has a new department on graduate affairs and the labour market and is playing a more active role with internships, he said.
“We want them to get a taste before committing to the private sector,” he said. “There was always this myth before that it’s too competitive and jobs aren’t secure, so the best way to break that barrier is an internship.”
A ministry study showed that two thirds of Emirati students intern in the public sector, 17 per cent in semi- government companies such as Mubadala and Adnoc, and 15 per cent in the private sector, Dr Belhoul said.
He hopes to raise the private-sector figure to 40 per cent by 2021. The ministry will send a batch of students with GPAs above 3.5 to private-sector internships in industries such as oil and gas, aviation and financial services.
“There are many successful stories of Emiratis in the private sector today, like the head of General Electric UAE. Stu- dents are becoming smarter and we’re becoming a globally competitive country, so it’s just a matter of time. ”
Amin Al Balooshi, a 27-yearold Emirati from Dubai, works as a business analyst at Emirates airline.
“There are many innovations that take place in the private sector,” Mr Al Balooshi said. “My job is related between IT and business, so we are the backbone for the business domain at Emirates.”
He worked in government for three years but switched with the aim to further develop his potential.
“It’s one of the most competitive companies in the world and has a different view of innovation,” he said. “I like to work in that environment.”
Fatma Al Attar, 18, a Zayed University student, said Emiratis needed to be more independent.
“That happens in the private sector,” she said. “It builds more character and maturity, and offers everything, even if you stay two hours more than government offices.”