Production line at Al Ain water factory is manned entirely by Emiratis

Rashid Humaid Al Humairi is in charge of the assembly line at the Al Ain Mineral Water Company and oversees the filling, capping, labelling and packaging of more than 4,000 five-litre water bottles every hour.

Rashid Humaid Al Humairi is proud of his job as a machine operator and a team leader at Al Ain Mineral Water Company. Silvia Razgova / The National

AL AIN // Rashid Humaid Al Humairi knew he would need a lot of bottle when he started working in a factory in his home town of Al Ain. He quickly found out he’d need thousands each hour.

The 27-year-old Emirati is in charge of the assembly line at the Al Ain Mineral Water Company and oversees the filling, capping, labelling and packaging of more than 4,000 five-litre water bottles every hour.

Mr Al Humairi manages a 12-man team, all Emiratis, who work on the production line at the factory run by Agthia, the Abu Dhabi food producer, in eight-hour shifts.

“Any place you work I feel you should start at the beginning and grow from there,” says Mr Al Humairi, who started out as a machine operator on the same line more than a year ago before being put in charge.

“I’m really proud to lead this group which is contributing to manufacturing a product in our country and be able to do it in the city where my family and I are from,” he says.

The appeal of working in a factory each day compared to an office might not be immediate to most people, but Salem Al Suwaidi sees the benefit of choosing the production line over a desk job.

“Here at Agthia, they’re taking care of us and offering opportunities to move up,” says the Emirati who has been working on the assembly line for seven months.

“I would tell all Emiratis don’t think about government jobs and tell them to work these kind of jobs which are just as important.”

Emiratisation of what are essentially blue-collar jobs, especially those of a technical nature, is vital to the security of the UAE’s food production.

“If, for any reason, there is a shortage in expatriate capabilities or skills for critical production facilities like water, flour, and animal feed you need citizens knowledgeable and skilful in food production who can take over, operate, and ensure the production line continues,” says Toufic El Chaar, group director of Human Resources at Agthia.

“It is essential these products reach the community.”

It is for exactly this reason that Agthia started its National Talent Programme that saw the firm partner up with institutions such as the Abu Dhabi Vocational Education and Training Institute, UAE University and the Tawteen initiative, to train local students in its factories and facilities.

Mr El Chaar says the company is looking to hire graduates and unemployed Emiratis rather than take talent from other companies and to make sure it contributes to reducing the unemployment rate among citizens.

He admits the areas of most interest for Emiratis are in administrative, clerical and managerial positions, but he says there is a sea change occurring with the younger generation.

“I already see a paradigm shift in the nature of the jobs younger Emiratis are seeking and they are becoming more receptive to working these operational jobs.”

Hiring locals from the areas close to the company’s factories is also proving to be successful.

“We want to attract more Emiratis who come from the same areas as our factories,” says Mr El Chaar. “This gives them a chance to develop their career without leaving their families.”

He adds that this approach has also helped the company hire an increasing number of female Emiratis.

Maryam Al Saadi, Human Resources Supervisor at Agthia, agrees. The UAE University graduate joined the company after a stint in a HR position at a government department.

“It was short as I quickly saw that there was little room to grow in the government job,” she says.

Soon after joining Agthia, she noticed how better suited she is to life at the Abu Dhabi company.

“It’s a company with many employees from different nationalities which allowed me to grow through experiencing working with people from other cultures.”

In the six years she has worked for Agitha, Ms Al Saadi has noticed the number of Emiratis being hired increase significantly, with many joining without high school or college diplomas and willing to take on technical jobs.

The training she received from the company as well as advice has allowed her to advance quickly in her career.

“The difference here is that your development does not depend on your seniority,” says Ms Al Saadi. “Rather it depends on your performance.”