A group of young Emirati women attend a careers fair in Dubai. Reem Mohammed / The National
A group of young Emirati women attend a careers fair in Dubai. Reem Mohammed / The National

Vision 2021 sends a strong message to enhance skills and find local talent



Earlier this month we celebrated the UAE's 46th National Day. There is so much that we can be proud of as a country. As chief human resource officer of one of the UAE's banks, I am particularly proud of the role played by our nation's leaders in nurturing and supporting such a hardworking and talented Emirati workforce.

They have always recognised that young people are our future. They have the potential to be global citizens who help companies to shape societies and economies by bringing fresh and compassionate points of view, ideas, vigour and passion to the table.

Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid, Vice President and Ruler of Dubai, has prioritised building a knowledge-based economy by empowering the national workforce. In 2014, he launched a seven-year nationalisation plan as part of the UAE Vision 2021, which aims to develop the skills of Emiratis and fill senior-level positions with local talent. This is being done through a points system that ranks and rewards performance across key areas, including employing women, supporting education and training, and encouraging flexible working conditions.

This sends a strong message to all industries that it is not enough to just "tick the box" when it comes to Emiratisation. Organisations need to create a culture of growth for Emiratis by taking a long-term view and building integrated and holistic Emiratisation programmes.

Yet Emiratis continue to be under-represented in the private sector. The Ministry of Human Resources and Emiratisation found that 38 per cent of Emirati jobseekers felt private sector salaries weren't competitive enough and that 33 per cent refused a position due to geographical location.

To fix this, the private sector needs to ensure that nationals can gain access to entry-level positions and access the tools needed to build their capabilities, so that they can move on to positions with greater leadership and responsibility. Companies must invest in human capital through supportive infrastructure, personal mentoring, and the development of succession plans for national talent. And they must partner with the public sector and educational institutions so that market needs, industry trends and curriculum can interlink.

My sector, banking, remains an attractive career path for Emiratis, who find it stable, attractive and flexible. Since December last year, the broader financial services sector achieved Emiratisation levels of 20 to 45 per cent. I am proud to say that Commercial Bank International achieved 330 Emiratisation points in September 2017, exceeding the Central Bank target of 208 points by December 2017.

Helping a UAE bank to achieve this has been one of my biggest career achievements to date.

I have the Mother of the Nation, Sheikha Fatima bint Mubarak, to thank for much of my career success. She has been my main role model and a true source of inspiration to me throughout my working life, as she has been for so many other Emirati women.

By positioning the female agenda firmly at the centre of government prioritisation, she has set the foundation for women's empowerment in the UAE and inspired thousands of other women to each play a role in this progress.

The UAE now sets an example for many countries in the Middle East and across the rest of the world. In 2012, we became the first country in the Arab region and the second country in the world to introduce a mandatory female presence in the boardroom. In February 2015, the UAE formed a Gender Balance Council to oversee government efforts to ensure gender balance and one year later, eight new federal ministerial appointments were announced, five of which were Emirati women.

To continue this powerful momentum in both the public and private sector, we need to prepare women for leadership positions by creating opportunities and developing skills through training and mentorship.

Understanding my professional potential was one of my biggest barriers early on in my career, as I did not have the confidence to take a seat at the table and make my goals known. My mentor at the time motivated me to push myself out of my comfort zone, and I quickly realised that I was limiting my possibilities before. Through self-assessment and feedback from others, I continued to make my career objectives known, and was able to overcome my barriers.

My advice to young Emiratis, male or female, looking to enter the private sector, is to surround yourself with brilliant leaders and learn from their examples. Ensure that you have a formal or informal mentor or coach; their network, advice and resources will be invaluable to your growth early in your career. And say yes to as many things you can. This is the only way to expand your horizon and deepen your business knowledge.

Hessa Al Ghurair is chief human resources officer of CBI

The specs

Engine: 3-litre twin-turbo V6

Power: 400hp

Torque: 475Nm

Transmission: 9-speed automatic

Price: From Dh215,900

On sale: Now

What is graphene?

Graphene is extracted from graphite and is made up of pure carbon.

It is 200 times more resistant than steel and five times lighter than aluminum.

It conducts electricity better than any other material at room temperature.

It is thought that graphene could boost the useful life of batteries by 10 per cent.

Graphene can also detect cancer cells in the early stages of the disease.

The material was first discovered when Andre Geim and Konstantin Novoselov were 'playing' with graphite at the University of Manchester in 2004.

Company%20Profile
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The specs

  Engine: 2-litre or 3-litre 4Motion all-wheel-drive Power: 250Nm (2-litre); 340 (3-litre) Torque: 450Nm Transmission: 8-speed automatic Starting price: From Dh212,000 On sale: Now

Citadel: Honey Bunny first episode

Directors: Raj & DK

Stars: Varun Dhawan, Samantha Ruth Prabhu, Kashvi Majmundar, Kay Kay Menon

Rating: 4/5

Company%20Profile
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COMPANY PROFILE

Name: Qyubic
Started: October 2023
Founder: Namrata Raina
Based: Dubai
Sector: E-commerce
Current number of staff: 10
Investment stage: Pre-seed
Initial investment: Undisclosed 

COMPANY%20PROFILE%20
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COMPANY%20PROFILE
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Singham Again

Director: Rohit Shetty

Stars: Ajay Devgn, Kareena Kapoor Khan, Ranveer Singh, Akshay Kumar, Tiger Shroff, Deepika Padukone

Rating: 3/5

Expo details

Expo 2020 Dubai will be the first World Expo to be held in the Middle East, Africa and South Asia

The world fair will run for six months from October 20, 2020 to April 10, 2021.

It is expected to attract 25 million visits

Some 70 per cent visitors are projected to come from outside the UAE, the largest proportion of international visitors in the 167-year history of World Expos.

More than 30,000 volunteers are required for Expo 2020

The site covers a total of 4.38 sqkm, including a 2 sqkm gated area

It is located adjacent to Al Maktoum International Airport in Dubai South

COMPANY PROFILE
Name: ARDH Collective
Based: Dubai
Founders: Alhaan Ahmed, Alyina Ahmed and Maximo Tettamanzi
Sector: Sustainability
Total funding: Self funded
Number of employees: 4
Tree of Hell

Starring: Raed Zeno, Hadi Awada, Dr Mohammad Abdalla

Director: Raed Zeno

Rating: 4/5

Venom

Director: Ruben Fleischer

Cast: Tom Hardy, Michelle Williams, Riz Ahmed

Rating: 1.5/5

Fifa%20World%20Cup%20Qatar%202022%20
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Cricket World Cup League 2

UAE squad

Rahul Chopra (captain), Aayan Afzal Khan, Ali Naseer, Aryansh Sharma, Basil Hameed, Dhruv Parashar, Junaid Siddique, Muhammad Farooq, Muhammad Jawadullah, Muhammad Waseem, Omid Rahman, Rahul Bhatia, Tanish Suri, Vishnu Sukumaran, Vriitya Aravind

Fixtures

Friday, November 1 – Oman v UAE
Sunday, November 3 – UAE v Netherlands
Thursday, November 7 – UAE v Oman
Saturday, November 9 – Netherlands v UAE

Three ways to limit your social media use

Clinical psychologist, Dr Saliha Afridi at The Lighthouse Arabia suggests three easy things you can do every day to cut back on the time you spend online.

1. Put the social media app in a folder on the second or third screen of your phone so it has to remain a conscious decision to open, rather than something your fingers gravitate towards without consideration.

2. Schedule a time to use social media instead of consistently throughout the day. I recommend setting aside certain times of the day or week when you upload pictures or share information. 

3. Take a mental snapshot rather than a photo on your phone. Instead of sharing it with your social world, try to absorb the moment, connect with your feeling, experience the moment with all five of your senses. You will have a memory of that moment more vividly and for far longer than if you take a picture of it.

MATCH INFO

Uefa Champions League semi-final, first leg

Tottenham v Ajax, Tuesday, 11pm (UAE).

Second leg

Ajax v Tottenham, Wednesday, May 8, 11pm

Games on BeIN Sports

Electoral College Victory

Trump has so far secured 295 Electoral College votes, according to the Associated Press, exceeding the 270 needed to win. Only Nevada and Arizona remain to be called, and both swing states are leaning Republican. Trump swept all five remaining swing states, North Carolina, Georgia, Pennsylvania, Michigan and Wisconsin, sealing his path to victory and giving him a strong mandate. 

 

Popular Vote Tally

The count is ongoing, but Trump currently leads with nearly 51 per cent of the popular vote to Harris’s 47.6 per cent. Trump has over 72.2 million votes, while Harris trails with approximately 67.4 million.

COMPANY PROFILE
Name: Almnssa
Started: August 2020
Founder: Areej Selmi
Based: Gaza
Sectors: Internet, e-commerce
Investments: Grants/private funding
Our legal consultants

Name: Hassan Mohsen Elhais

Position: legal consultant with Al Rowaad Advocates and Legal Consultants.

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MATCH INFO

Barcelona 2
Suarez (10'), Messi (52')

Real Madrid 2
Ronaldo (14'), Bale (72')


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