Al Gharbia holds back an exodus

Western region tries to stem migration by sending 11 young people overseas on a new work experience programme.

Left to right, Obaid Suhail Suwaih al Mazrouei, Ahmad Eissa al Falahi and Mohammed Ahmed al Marar are in London to study.

MADINAT ZAYED // It is an awful lot to rest on 11 young people's shoulders, admits Hamoud Humaid al Mansouri, the general manager of the municipality of the sparsely populated Western Region. But, he says, the group of students taking part in a new work experience programme in the UK may represent one of the best hopes yet for stemming the exodus of young people to the gleaming skyscrapers of Dubai and Abu Dhabi that is slowly sapping the region's communities of their futures and identities.

The Government has earmarked more than Dh98 billion (US$26.6bn) towards developing the region, also known as Al Gharbia, over the next five years and has called the area a "rising star". But today, the region, which makes up about 80 per cent of Abu Dhabi emirate and includes Liwa, Sila'a, Delma, Ruwais, Mirfa and Madinat Zayed, also faces serious difficulty in stopping its students and professionals from emigrating to other cities.

"Here, we're in a closed environment and ... there's less opportunity. In the Western Region, sometimes people don't interact. There are certain cultural rules which play a part in this too," said Mr Mansouri, acknowledging that the towns that occasionally rise up out of the desert are "a little bit behind". To counteract the exodus, last year Mr Mansouri started developing a plan for an international work placement programme that would "grow tomorrow's leaders". The idea is to send the students abroad, hopefully to bring back skills and knowledge they can transfer to other young people in their towns.

Several weeks ago, the first batch of 11 students, aged between 20 and 25, from the Higher Community College in Madinat Zayed - the entire graduating class - flew to London to start four weeks of intensive English-language lessons before being placed for a month with a variety of British companies in various fields, including accounting, IT, finance and customer services. The students, who have all completed a three-year course leading towards higher diplomas in business and IT, will also visit UAE businesses operating in the UK, such as the airline Etihad and the leisure group Jumeirah.

On their return, they will be given opportunities to work in government institutions, for example during college holidays or on a part-time basis, to maintain their skills and experience levels. "I wanted them to feel that they have a chance to work," said Mr Mansouri, who added that, on such an intensive programme, they would learn more in eight weeks than would be possible in three years in the Western Region.

Basic skills such as punctuality, time-keeping and a commitment to seeing projects through to conclusion are seen by Mr Mansouri as vital elements in the process of creating an effective workforce for the future. The new Madinat Zayed University is due to open in the region in about two years, with a campus in Madinat Zayed and another in the town of Ghyathi. Western Region officials anticipate that in its first year there will be an intake of between 300 and 400 students.

Mr Mansouri said he hoped changes to the education system as well as the provision of a number of other services, such as hospitals and schools, would play their part in stemming migration. "People don't just move away for education," he said. "It's for lots of reasons such as health care and housing. The social life and conditions here are nothing like they are in Al Ain or Abu Dhabi." His measure of success, he adds, is modest: "If even five or six of the 11 students come back and work within the public sector here, I will feel I have achieved something great."