Etisalat highlights commitment to local talent development at Careers UAE 2012

Etisalat, the UAE’s largest telecommunications operator, today reaffirmed its commitment to develop local talent, in line with its long-term Emiratisation goals. Speaking at the 12^th edition of the annual Careers UAE 2012 in Dubai, Abdulaziz Al Sawaleh, Group Chief Human Resource Officer, Etisalat, stated that the corporation’s Emiratisation level now stands at 36 per cent.
Al Sawaleh, representing Etisalat, which has been a prominent participant at Careers UAE since its inception, also informed the audience that UAE national female employees now represent 70 per cent of total female employees at the Corporation. In addition, the proportion of nationals within Etisalat’s executive management stands at nearly 90 per cent.
Al Sawaleh attributed the increase in the representation of nationals within the workforce to the strategy adopted by the corporation, which not only focuses on employment but also on skills development and training.
Addressing the audience at the event, Al Sawaleh said: “Etisalat has carefully assessed and developed training programmes that support its Emiratisation efforts. Programmes, such as the Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development (CIPD) certificate programme, and the International Financial Reporting Standards (IFRS) certificate programme are specially designed to meet the needs of the industry and go beyond just telecommunications-related skills. The CIPD programme is designed for employees in the human resources function at Etisalat and has seen ten national employees graduating so far. The IFRS programme, which focuses on financial reporting and auditing based on principles recommended by the IFRS Board, has seen 150 graduating employees including 90 national employees.”
“Additionally, we have been conducting the Middle Management Training Programme, from which 145 national employees have graduated so far. National employees’ representation in middle management positions in the corporation has reached nearly 50 per cent of total middle management positions,” Al Sawaleh added.
Al Sawaleh also underpinned the Corporation’s efforts in establishing partnerships with leading international specialised institutions and colleges as part of its drive to provide international exposure and learning to employees. Several of these employees have since been recruited into the Future Leaders Programme to work in top positions within the Corporation.
In another reflection of its commitment to develop employees’ leadership skills and invest in their long-term skills development, Etisalat has been providing a number of its employees the opportunity to join the Reyada programme. Reyada is Etisalat’s ongoing initiative to identify talented Emiratis and enable them to learn about the latest available technologies.
The programme allows participants to be trained in several countries such as the UAE, China, Spain, Germany and Sweden, enabling them to attain academic and practical training in global organisations and companies that have strategic partnerships with Etisalat. The training period lasts for three months and includes a number of common activities between Etisalat and Huawei, a leading global company specialised in information technology and telecommunications.
Careers UAE 2012 is taking place from March 5-7 at the Dubai International Convention and Exhibition Centre.