The majlis: How can Emiratisation aims be continued?

Having Emiratis at the bottom of the grading structure and in top management is not really sustainable. Jochen Tack / Getty Images / ArabianEye

Emiratisation is a buzz­word in the UAE's human resources industry. There are initiatives, programmes and even authorities created to help achieve this. I still remember the first time I heard that word – I was working in the recruitment department at a government entity. The message and purpose was clear as day: hire more Emiratis.

What you would notice in some organisations today is that the notion of Emiratisation is centred on recruitment, but recruitment is merely one function of the process. Hiring Emirati employees is only the first part. What comes next is essential – ensuring that the new recruit is developed to ensure that they’re capable of handling the tasks and duties required. Almost 10 years of ­development should be more than enough time to create specialised staff, but looking at the current data, it doesn’t seem to show any fruitful result. Has any organisation monitored the development of Emiratis occupying the entry-level/fresh graduate positions 10 years ago? Where are they now?

There are Emiratis in technical fields, but they’re so rare that they’re still considered national pioneers in their industries. I have seen several organisations boast that they have reached Emiratisation targets and have the required number of ­Emiratis in their workforce, but if we look closer, Emiratis often cover the majority of the admin/clerical positions, but not the core business.

We have the opportunity to look at history and predict the ­plausible outcomes for any organisation. Time and time again, people tend to move where opportunities arise. Preparing the country to be resilient in times of change, especially in industries that are relevant to the diversification of the economy, is crucial.

One of the main approaches a leader would consider is succession, not only in the context of leadership development, but in the context of technical skill development. Having Emiratis at the bottom of the grading structure and in top management is not really sustainable. Having Emiratis in the core business would be defined as a ­sustainable development strategy – ensuring the knowledge is transferred and retained for future generations.

Human resources departments, with the support of top ­managers, should look for incentives that would help encourage expat experts to pass down knowledge, skills and expertise to the next generation of Emiratis.

An approach that would help us achieve this is buddy/­mentoring programmes to have the less-­experienced staff learn how, why and when these experts apply their knowledge. Hiring the best in the world to just “do” their jobs is like renting a penthouse and not living in it one day. I once thought of changing the titles and roles of all experts, and have them solely work on developing Emiratis as employed mentors.

If you work in an organisation within a field that’s new to the country, then your deadline is a decade from today. If you do nothing, then your organisation doesn’t and will not have a real Emiratisation scheme.

All of the above are some solutions to a recurring problem. I know that not all organisations have failed in preparing the next generation – take the oil industry.

Knowledge sharing is one of my core beliefs in servicing and protecting this country. Knowledge is the most powerful weapon. It can reach farther than any missile; it has a larger effect than any weapon of mass destruction, because its limit isn’t time-based. An idea can explode today, and a few decades later, a better society is built. We should invest in our people and invest heavily.

Khaled Al Suwaidi is an experienced education and training professional working in the Education and Training Department at the Federal Authority for Nuclear Regulation.

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