Emirati workforce trained in science ‘essential to future of UAE’

ABU DHABI // Having an Emirati workforce trained in science and technology is essential to the future of the country, a senior official has said.

Speaking at a round-table discussion on Monday, Ahmed Al Calily, director general of Abu Dhabi Technology Development Committee, said parents should encourage their children to pursue careers based in the sciences.

One of the highest priorities of the TDC was to develop the potential of the country’s workforce, Mr Al Calily said.

“We have made significant progress in this regard but there is still a gap between supply and demand,” he said.

He said, however, that it was pleasing to see more Emirati women achieving success in the fields of science and technology.

“We are so proud of this. And we are discussing with our partners such as Adec [Abu Dhabi Education Council] to get more girls into the computer science field.”

The TDC was bringing its message across a range of age groups, said Mr Al Calily, from children as young as five up to university students.

Mr Al Calily said he believed that the country was the best in the region in focusing on research and development.

Scientists, however, should aim for research that benefited the country, he said.

“We don’t want our scientists and researchers to undertake research only as an intellectual exercise,” he said. “We want them to take another step forward and make their research to add value to the economy. This is our national objective.”

He mentioned projects that the TDC had backed, including the Abu Dhabi Science Festival, the Space innovation centre and Takamul, which supports the application for patents.