Today's Edition
Sami Abdulraoof (Abu Dhabi)
More than 27,000 UAE nationals have found private sector employment through the Nafis programme in the first seven months of this year, exceeding the previous target set for 24,000 individuals, Secretary-General of the Emirati Talent Competitiveness Council, Ghannam Al Mazrouei, revealed.
In an interview with Aletihad, Al Mazrouei confirmed that in the remaining months of 2023, the programme seeks to hire even more citizens in the private sector. “Nafis, supported by our wise leadership and the follow up of His Highness Sheikh Mansour bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Vice President, Deputy Prime Minister, and Minister of the Presidential Court, has changed traditional concepts…about our citizens joining the private sector. Today, most UAE families encourage their children to work in the private sector after dispelling ideas of poor salaries or a lack of job security. These fears were dealt with and appropriate solutions were developed so citizens were reassured of their future careers and social stability,” Al Mazrouei said.
“Numbers have exceeded projections, as the Nafis programme, though still young, has achieved more than projected so far. The number of UAE nationals who joined private sector reached 80.000 up to now, 52.000 of whom joined since the launch of Nafis,” Al Mazrouei said.
Over 17,000 companies have employed UAE nationals, and the value of monthly payments to beneficiary individuals, reached Dh2.4 billion in July 2023, he added.
The Nafis programme set a target of identifying 24,000 jobs annually, Al Mazrouei said, adding that with the cooperation and support of strategic partners, “we can achieve more than what we aspired to do”.
“There are many partnerships and cooperation agreements between the UAE Talent Competitiveness Council and a number of international training institutes and academies, to provide training programmes for Emirati people who are looking to join private sector,” Al Mazrouei said.
He added that Nafis is seeking to sign 30 cooperation agreements by the end of this year to support the Council’s efforts, including five agreements to provide 11,500 jobs within a five-year span, nine agreements to offer 11,750 training opportunities, and six agreements for capacity building programmes to support 2,000 health sector students annually. Ten further agreements are anticipated to support Nafis programmes.
Challenges and Solutions
Regarding the greatest challenges the Nafis programme has faced since its launch, Al Mazrouei said: “We faced some challenges at different fronts, such as in community culture, the involvement of Emiratis in the private sector, the availability of scientific specialisations, and targeted nationalisation rates”.
He stressed that the Emirates Competitiveness Council is exerting great efforts to address these challenges. The Ministry of Human Resources and Emiratisation is likewise working on these challenges, including following up on the facilities’ commitment to Emiratisation targets.
In overcoming the aforementioned challenges, Al Mazrouei noted that the limitless support for the wise leadership and the ongoing follow up of His Highness Sheikh Mansour bin Zayed Al Nahyan has been a key component of the programme’s success.
He praised the concerted efforts and cooperation of all government entities, semi-government agency partners, and private sector establishments. These efforts have an additional positive social impact through the organisation of campaigns to change public perceptions on private sector employment.
“The campaign ‘Compete Your Way’ helps us a lot to change social perceptions about working in private sector by shedding light on 1,001 inspiring success stories of our people working in the private sector for over five years. Of these, 200 stories have been reviewed as of now,” Al Mazrouei said.
Nafis has also launched 10 distinguished programmes and initiatives to serve citizens currently working in the private sector and graduates who wish to find private sector careers, he added.
Among these initiatives is the “Competencies Programme”, which offers participants training courses in specialised sectors, internationally accredited certificates, and skill-building programmes that provide vocational training for 12 months with financial compensation.
Changing perceptions
“The good news is that all indicators confirm an increase in satisfaction among UAE nationals who have joined the private sector. This is reflected in the number of visits to the Nafis platform, and the increased number of citizens who are interested in working in the sector,” Al Mazrouei added.
Promising Future
Offering his advice to young citizens and graduates seeking job opportunities, the Secretary-General of Emirates Competitiveness Council encouraged them to set their sights on the private sector as the right choice to realise their ambitions and achieve their goals. He pointed to the sector’s plethora of success stories of UAE nationals who have proven their capabilities.
“I urge all young citizens looking to secure their futures to register on the Nafis platform, which represents a real opportunity to learn about job openings in the private sector. The programme offers them the necessary qualifications and training courses, in addition to financial support, to achieve their aspirations,” Al Mazroui said.
