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Young Emiratis willing to start from the bottom to gain work experience

Sharjah - There is this stigma that Emiratis only want managerial jobs but they don't mind beginning as rank-and-file employees.

Armed with printed resumes and confidence, young Emirati nationals Khalid Abdulrahman and Jamal Nasser hop from one booth to another at the National Career Exhibition at Expo Centre Sharjah on February 6 to talk to recruiters in the hope of landing a job.
They are first-time jobseekers, aged 21 and 20 respectively. They've finished education at a secondary technical school in Sharjah and can converse well both in Arabic and English. They've done internship at a medium-sized company and now they're looking forward to joining the employed workforce.
They told Khaleej Times: "Young Emiratis today are willing to start from the bottom to gain work experience and move up the (corporate) ladder.
"There is this stigma that Emiratis only want managerial jobs but we don't mind beginning as rank-and-file employees as long as we can develop work skills and the compensation is proportional to our jobs," the duo noted.
"We are also looking for career opportunities to gain experience and skills that will enable us to take on senior leadership roles in the future," they added.
Abdulrahman and Nasser said they belong to the forward-thinking Emirati generation who want to become independent and productive individuals.
"For now, we are staying at our respective parents' house but after we get stable jobs, we will get our own homes," they underlined.
Hundreds of young Emiratis visited the three-day National Career Exhibition for UAE nationals, which is now on its 21^st edition and held under the patronage of His Highness Dr Sheikh Sultan bin Mohammed Al Qasimi, Member of the Supreme Council and Ruler of Sharjah.
Around 50 government and private entities are taking part at the career fair which will run until February 8.
Khalid Jasim Al Midfa, chairman of the Sharjah Commerce and Tourism Development Authority (SCTDA), noted that the job fair provide young Emiratis "access to career opportunities that allow them to contribute effectively to the country's ambitious development process".
He added: "The empowerment of human resources is a top strategic priority. Currently, UAE nationals represent 62.75 per cent of the total staff at the SCTDA and we are looking to attract national talent to the hospitality and tourism sector to create more job opportunities that support Emiratisation."
Sultan Salim Alsaabri, group chief human capital officer at Bee'ah, said they are "looking for competent industrial, environmental and chemical engineers".
Bee'ah, an environmental management company based in Sharjah, has a total workforce of around 7,000 people - with 25 per cent at the managerial level being Emiratis.
"We want to attract UAE nationals who have the work experience and also new graduates," said Alsaabri, adding: "We will provide them with tools to develop their work experience and become future leaders in the industry."
Alsaabri noted that there are three things that they are looking for a new recruit: Commitment, positive attitude and strong passion towards the industry and the environment.
"Having a good education is a solid foundation but we are also looking for at the personality and attitude of the candidate - he/she must create a good first impression and he/she will be immediately hired," he added.
angel@khaleejtimes.com