ABU DHABI // Skilled Emiratis studying outside the UAE are being targeted by one of the capital’s major power companies.
Taqa, Abu Dhabi National Energy Company, hosted 60 nationals at a two-day event in Aberdeen, Scotland, to showcase career opportunities.
The event was held in conjunction with the UAE Embassy in Britain and introduced students to the internships and training schemes available for work experience outside the UAE.
Undergraduates, master’s and PhD students at British universities attended.
Also present were two of the company’s UAE graduate trainees, Mayed Al Rayssi and Muhanna Al Nuaimi, who gave first-hand accounts of beginning a career with Taqa.
“We each gave a three to five-minute speech,” Mr Al Rayssi said. “We explained why we had chosen Taqa as our career, and what they could expect if they made the same choice.”
Mr Al Nuaimi said: “I stressed what it was like to work in the organisation and how the training you receive is designed to show you what can be achieved when you work closer together – how you can become stronger together.
“Most thought Mayed and I had been working at Taqa for years. They were amazed to see that we were already working overseas and how much we knew about the industry after just a year.
“More than one came up to me, expressing how seriously they were considering energy as a career now. No other company had paid them the same attention, or appeared so eager to attract them into a career as Taqa.”
Nearly all the guests agreed the spread of career opportunities within the company were a draw, regardless of the academic disciplines they were pursuing, from commercial openings to engineering and research and development work.
“Emirati students abroad are our target. We are going out of our way to bring in Emiratis with foreign experience,” said Ken Boyle, the group vice president for human resources. “This is very unique. It allows us to get our message across, where you really can tell them this is what Taqa is all about.”
As part of his international experience, Mr Al Rayssi is preparing to spend three months on Taqa’s Tern production and drilling platform in the North Sea.
The event was the second held by the company for Emiratis studying abroad. A similar forum was held at the UAE embassy in Ottawa, Canada, for Emirati students in North America.
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