Working in the private sector has enhanced their skills and character, and the Nafis programme has proven to be a great initiative by the government, Emirati nationals said.
Nafis, the federal programme, facilitates job opportunities for nationals in the private sector.
According to Khaleej Times, some of the citizens spoke about the benefits of working in private companies.
“The private sector provides more space for creativity. It allows employees to continuously learn and develop themselves and often provides them with beneficial training sessions. It is exciting to work alongside people from different backgrounds and cultures and learn about their different views, ways of thinking and traditions,” said Aysha Naser Al Hosani from G42, who is a licensed laboratory technologist holding a bachelor’s degree from Higher Colleges of Technology.
A team shift lead in the long-read sequencing laboratory, she is part of the Emirati genome project team that is responsible for creating the first UAE mapping database that will help prevent and detect future diseases. Al Hosani pointed out that the private sector has its fair share of challenges but it has enabled her growth and self-development.
Ambassadors of the country
Hind Al Mansoori pointed out that the private sector gets the best out of employees.
“As the human resources manager in Mediclinic City Hospital, responsible for over 1,100 employees, my main target is to support and enable organisational efficiency through effective HR services. One of the main challenges I faced in the beginning was joining the healthcare sector for the first time right around the time we were hit by the pandemic. However, thanks to my colleagues who were very cooperative and supportive, I successfully enhanced my knowledge and skills to have a better understanding of the healthcare sector and the business goals.”
As a UAE national in the private sector, Al Mansoori advises Emirati youth to seek challenges and aim high to live-up to the image that the UAE wants to send across to nationals globally.
I benefited greatly from this opportunity
Amal Ahmed Alharbi, an electrical engineer at Trojan Construction Group, stressed how working in the private sector is vital in encouraging personal and professional growth.
“Working in the private sector really shapes your character as a person by learning to work under pressure and learning time management skills. Additionally, with the wide support system offered to UAE nationals in the private sector and government subsidies through Nafis, this sector has become our future,” Al Harbi said.
“The job variety within the private sector companies is a means of acquiring the expertise needed by today’s job market, and personally, I benefited greatly from this opportunity,” she added.
From January 1, private sector companies with 50 or more employees must ensure 2 per cent of their staff are Emiratis. Any firm failing to meet the target will have to pay an amount of Dh6,000 a month for every citizen who has not been employed.
Here’s how private firms can find Emirati jobseekers
While Nafis, the federal government initiative (https://nafis.gov.ae/), is a well-known platform for employers to find Emirati jobseekers, there are other similar private job portals to find talented nationals.
Employers can either post a vacancy or find registered job seekers on portals like https://www.bayt.com/en/uae/, https://www.naukrigulf.com/, https://www.founditgulf.com/, https://laimoon.com/uae among others.
Employers can also take part in online employment fairs to find Emirati jobseekers. They can also post vacancies on the classifieds section of online and print publications like Khaleej Times (https://buzzon.khaleejtimes.com/ad-category/jobs-vacancies/) and Dubizzle. (NewsWire)