Today's Edition
ABU DHABI (WAM)
Under the patronage of His Highness Sheikh Mansour bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Vice President, Deputy Prime Minister, Chairman of the Presidential Court and Chairman of the Board of Directors of the Emirati Talent Competitiveness Council, the Council has announced the launch of the third cycle of “Nafis Award” 2024-2025, under the theme “Compete and Excel.”
The launch of the award underscores the Emirati Talent Competitiveness Council's commitment to enhancing the human development system in the country by preparing qualified and sustainable national talents working in the private, financial, and banking sectors. This contributes to strengthening the national economy and increasing the active participation of Emiratis in various economic fields.
The award is now accepting nominations from Emiratis in the private and banking and financial sectors until December 31, 2024.
Applicants are required to complete the online nomination form between September 30, 2024, and the end of December 2024, submitting all necessary information for the evaluation process via the award's website at www.nafisaward.etss.gov.ae, in preparation for the announcement of the final results during the awards ceremony scheduled to be held in the second quarter of 2025.
Outstanding Emiratis
The award, in its third cycle, aims to honour outstanding Emiratis working both within the UAE and abroad in private sectors, as well as the banking, insurance, financial sectors, non-profit organisations, private educational institutions, and free zones. It also includes establishments registered with the Ministry of Human Resources and Emiratisation and the Central Bank of the UAE.
11 subcategories
The individual category of the award has been designed to include eleven subcategories: Leadership jobs, Supervisory jobs, Medical jobs, Healthcare Jobs, Specialised jobs, Engineering jobs, Insurance and Related Professions jobs, Administrative Jobs, Retail and Customer Service jobs.
ETCC has announced the merger of the subcategories of Financial and Banking jobs within the individual category into a single category, namely Banking and Financial jobs.
In addition, a new subcategory has been introduced within the individual categories, focusing on Future jobs, which are directly linked to technological advancements and include various fields such as technology, artificial intelligence, robotics, renewable energy, big data, and more.
The awards for entities are divided to include entities registered under the Ministry of Human Resources and Emiratisation and the entities registered under the Central Bank of the UAE. Two subcategories were designed for this category: Entities Supporting Emiratisation and Exceptional Efforts.
The first subcategory evaluation criteria include several pillars, such as the Emiratisation percentage during the current year, the number of new Emirati hires, and the retention rate of Emirati employees. It also includes the comparison of average salaries for Emiratis versus non-Emirati employees and the extent to which establishments utilise government systems such as Nafis platform.
The second subcategory, Exceptional Efforts, where the evaluation considers achieving Emiratisation rates that exceed required targets by hiring and training Emiratis, maintaining their retention, appointing recent Emirati graduates within their workforce, and the representation of Emirati women in leadership roles, among other criteria that increase their chances of winning.
Emirati Talent Competitiveness Council is collaborating with the Sheikh Khalifa Government Excellence Program to oversee the award model, ensuring alignment of the award categories, criteria, and evaluation mechanisms with government directives and best global practices. This ensures the governance of the evaluation process and promotes individual and institutional excellence, reinforcing the culture of excellence in the private sector to support the Emiratisation agenda, elevate the performance of national talents, and boost their productivity across all fields.
The Ministry of Human Resources and Emiratisation, along with the Central Bank of the UAE, will oversee the Entities categories according to their specialties.
Entities do not need to submit applications for nomination; their performance will be assessed based on the official electronic systems of the relevant authorities to determine the best-performing entities according to the award’s criteria.
Dr. Abdulrahman Al Awar, Minister of Human Resources and Emiratisation, Acting Minister of Higher Education and Scientific Research, and Member of the Board of Directors and Head of the Advisory Committee of the Emirati Talent Competitiveness Council, emphasised the importance of the Nafis Award in enhancing the role of national talent in the private and financial & banking sectors, which reflects the UAE leadership's vision and continued support for national competencies, underscoring their critical role in driving sustainable economic development.
He added that the award serves as a pioneering model for motivating both private sector entities and Emirati talent to excel and adopt a culture of innovation.
114,000 Emiratis employed
He stated that the launch of the third cycle of the award coincides with historic achievements in Emiratisation in the private sector, with over 114,000 Emiratis now employed across more than 21,000 private entities, including over 81,000 hired since the programme's inception up until mid-2024, reflecting steady progress towards even greater Emiratisation targets specially with the ongoing implementation of policies requiring entities with more than 50 employees to achieve a 2 percent annual growth in skilled Emirati employment, with a 10 percent growth target set for 2026.
Additionally, designated companies with 20 to 49 employees across 14 key economic sectors are required to hire at least one Emirati in 2024 and another in 2025.
He noted that this cycle of the award builds on the success of previous cycles, introducing new categories focused on future jobs, emphasising the importance of keeping pace with technological advancements and preparing young Emiratis for success in the future jobs which promises more of progress in different fields.
Dr. Al Awar reaffirmed the Ministry's continued commitment to supporting the private sector and fostering a sustainable work environment that empowers national talent, which is crucial to achieving the nation's Emiratisation goals and driving economic progress.
For his part, Khalid Mohammed Balama, Governor of the UAE Central Bank, underscored the UAE leadership's commitment to empowering Emirati talent to contribute to sustainable development and build a better future for the country. He emphasised that strategic projects and initiatives, such as Nafis Award, are national frameworks designed to enhance Emiratisation in the private sector and the banking, financial, and insurance sectors, further cementing the UAE's global competitiveness.
He added, "In line with the directives of His Highness Sheikh Mansour bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Vice President, Deputy Prime Minister, Chairman of the Presidential Court, Chairman of the Central Bank of the UAE and Chairman of the Board of Directors of the Emirati Talent Competitiveness Council 'Nafis', Emiratisation remains a central strategic goal of the Central Bank. We are working to prepare a qualified generation of bankers to contribute to driving the growth of the financial sector and the national economy through the 'Ethraa' programme for Emiratisation in the banking, financial, and insurance sectors, which was launched in 2022 to train and employ 9,375 Emiratis by 2026-2027”.
He further said, “the Central Bank and the Emirates Institute of Finance, through the 'Ethraa' programme, focus on increasing the percentage of Emiratis in leadership and specialised roles, which had reached over 31 percent by the end of 2023, with a target of 45 percent by 2026. We look forward for the increase of the Emiratisation rate and the number of outstanding Emiratis in these essential sectors and that the participation of licensed financial institutions in the third cycle of Nafis Award will expand, showcasing their role in boosting Emiratisation”.
Ghannam Butti Al Mazrouei, Secretary-General of the Emirati Talent Competitiveness Council and Chairman of the Nafis Award Organising Committee, noted that “Nafis Award” aligns with the UAE leadership's vision, which emphasises the importance of public-private partnerships and the empowerment of national talent to enhance the national economy. "The award has become an annual platform for celebrating the achievements of our youth and private sector partners across various industries. It remains one of the Council's key initiatives, having successfully recognised outstanding Emirati talent and top-performing entities in the private sector," he said.
The previous cycles of the award witnessed significant engagement from Emiratis working in the private sector, which reinforced the concepts of professional excellence and positive citizenship values. The recognition of winners served as a strong motivator for future participation.
He pointed out that Nafis Award is not merely a platform for recognising individual and institutional achievements but is a cornerstone for driving change in the traditional perception of working in the private sector. He added that the award provides an opportunity for all Emiratis working in the private and banking sectors to participate and celebrate their achievements and contributions to the development of the national economy.
The award aims to support the sustainability of Emiratisation in the private, financial, and banking sectors, encouraging young Emiratis to choose these sectors as their first career choice after graduation, thus contributing to the realisation of the UAE's future vision.
