Abu Dhabi Media, the parent company of The National, said on Thursday that it had received more than 1,000 applications from Emiratis during a careers fair in Dubai, with the interest dominated by demand for on-screen jobs.
“Recruiting and supporting local talent has always been a priority and we employ a large group of highly skilled local professionals,” Mohammed Ibrahim Al Mahmood, the ADM chairman and managing director said at Careers UAE. “We invest heavily in training and developing this talent and will continue to do so across each of our brands.
“The media industry is a reflection of the growth and prosperity seen across the nation and plays a major role in its socio-economic development. We believe UAE nationals play a vital role in developing and sustaining the media industry in the UAE.”
Globally, the entertainment and media sector is expected to grow by 5.6 per cent over the next five years, according to the professional services company Pricewaterhouse Coopers (PwC).
Careers UAE has become an annual fixture on the recruitment calendar for the Government and state-linked companies, helping them identify talented Emiratis fresh from university and high school. But competition is likely to intensify from the private sector this year. Multinationals, including the banks HSBC and Standard Chartered, PwC and the conglomerates Alstom and Serco are among those scouring for talent.
The careers fair ended on Thursday.
“We are also highlighting our partnerships with public and private universities in the UAE that are aimed at training Emirati students and attracting local talent to the media industry,” said Mr Al Mahmood.
“Our internship programmes, such as The National’s training programme which develops Emirati talent in English print journalism in the UAE ... provide trainees with a one-year, 360-degrees internship. Al Ittihad newspaper also has training programmes dedicated to developing local talent in the publishing field.
“Currently, 80 Emiratis work at Al Ittihad newspaper and this figure is recognised as one of the highest percentages of Emirati nationals working at any of the UAE daily newspapers.”
ADM operates 18 brands across broadcast, publishing and digital-media platforms, including Abu Dhabi TV.
business@thenational.ae