'Employing UAE nationals won't be mandatory'

The UAE Federal and Abu Dhabi governments have no intention to make it mandatory for the private sector to employ UAE nationals, Sheikh Nahyan bin Mubarak Al Nahyan, Minister of Higher Education and Scientific Research, said yesterday.

The strategy, rather, is to form a partnership with the private sector to make them stakeholders in the human resources development and to profit from it, he said.

"The government attempts to create a strong partnership with the private sector to recruit national men and women," he told Emirates Business on the sidelines of the Emiratisation Employers Forum 2010 in Abu Dhabi.

"For Emiratisation to succeed, every private sector employer must actively recruit and employ national graduates. Employers must create appropriate employment opportunities for nationals in their companies. They must seek out qualified graduates as employees and provide them with the mentorship that is important for their success," Sheikh Nahyan said.

"Business leaders must be familiar with the educational programmes of our colleges and universities. They are expected to sponsor work-based learning experiences and help define skills required in the workplace. We also ask that all future feasibility studies and project proposals stress the employment and training potential for nationals in the private sector."

He said business leaders must recognise that success in employing nationals in the private sector requires patience, perseverance and long-term efforts, and should not focus only on short-term initiatives.

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