Dubai, United Arab Emirates
C-level executives of Government entities and private sector enterprises have endorsed Careers UAE, the countrys specialised job and training fair focused on empowering UAE nationals, as a vital enabler in achieving corporate employment objectives and meeting Emiratisation targets by matching business needs with the skilled UAE national candidates.

With as many as 200,000 UAE nationals due to reach employment age in the next 10 years, according to the National HR Development & Employment Authority (Tanmia), the UAE has stepped up efforts to employ its citizens across the public and private sectors.

Held under the patronage of His Highness Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, UAE Vice President and Prime Minister and Ruler of Dubai, Careers UAE has - over the last 14 years - played a key role in achieving the vision of the countrys leadership, particularly in the area of Emiratisation, and complements the seven-year National Agenda announced by HH Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid to promote education and employment in line with the UAE Vision 2021 to establish the nation among the worlds best.

One professional arena where Emiratisation is gaining ground is the banking sector. According to a ministerial committee report, the banking sector employed just 2,473 UAE Nationals in 2000. As per estimates released by the Ministry of Labour in 2013, 65 per cent of the 22,000 UAE nationals employed in the private sector are working in the banking industry.

Shrooq Al Reda, Head of Human Resources Department of Commercial Bank of Dubai, said: We are committed to supporting the country's efforts towards Emiratisation and Careers UAE has provided us with the perfect opportunity to connect with UAE nationals, who have the right skills and expertise in areas

critical to our future growth. Our participation in Careers UAE has helped us achieve the highest rates of Emiratisation within the banking sector, with UAE nationals constituting 41 per cent of our employees.

Our sponsorship and participation in Careers UAE comes in line with the bank's strategy to support the Emiratisation programme and equip Emirati talent to undertake leadership positions in various departments through a distinct set of local and global training programmes, added Al Reda.
Dubais Department of Tourism & Commerce Marketing (DTCM), a regular exhibitor at Careers UAE since the fairs debut in 2000, has been successfully recruiting around 20-30 per cent of its workforce through its participation at the show.

Expressing satisfaction at achieving its objectives of training, recruiting and increasing the awareness in the tourism and hotel sectors, Ibrahim Yaqoot, Executive Director Corporate Support, DTCM, said: We have about 2,000 UAE nationals in our workforce and aim to achieve five per cent annual growth over the next three years. Careers UAE has helped us achieve our Emiratisation targets by providing us with a multitude of candidates with different educational backgrounds. The exhibition has also enabled us to raise awareness among young jobseekers about the employment possibilities in the tourism and hotels sector.
Major private sector companies will converge at Careers UAE 2014 with a cache of rewarding employment opportunities designed to realise UAE National Agenda goals to achieve a 10-fold increase in the level of Emiratisation in the private sector over the next seven years.
Xerox Emirates, a technology partner of Careers UAE 2014 - which is running at Dubai World Trade Centre (DWTC) from April 22-24 is an example of a major international company in-tune with the shows strategy to court the private sector.

Andrew Horne, General Manager, Xerox Emirates, said: We are delighted to be providing a specially designed scanning and correspondence solution for Careers UAE 2014. This solution will streamline candidates ability to select their desired employer, submit their resume at the registration desk, have their profiles shared with employers and be notified as soon as their profile is shared.

We are very excited about this collaboration with DWTC in such a strategic field by providing a service that profiles the future of talent recruitment in the Middle East.
With Careers UAE enabling a huge throng of companies to achieve their Emiratisation targets, there are administrative, marketing, financial and technical jobs on offer at the show, as well as several unique training initiatives designed to further strengthen skill sets of UAE national candidates.

Ahmad Mohamed Al Kaitoob, Head of National Development and Emiratisation at Jumeirah Group, said: Jumeirah is committed to Emiratisation and our participation at Careers UAE 2014 will help us to reach-out to top homegrown talent. As an international hospitality group based in the UAE, we believe in building a strong foundation in the hospitality industry and driving innovation in the hotel industry with world-class talent.

Stressing the Groups plans to hire more UAE nationals, Al Kaitoob added: During the three-day event, a number of my Emirati colleagues will be available at Jumeirahs stand to share their experiences, along with our HR team who will meet with potential candidates and conduct on-the-spot interviews.