ABU DHABI // Tackling youth unemployment, improving access to education and encouraging Emirati entrepreneurs were all crucial to securing a bright future for the UAE.
“I say this is important, crucial, even vital, without being over dramatic. These are worrying times,” said Reem Al Hashemy, the minister of state, who was speaking on the second day of the Emirates Foundation Youth Philanthropy summit.
Ms Al Hashemy said all sectors needed to provide more opportunities for youngsters to help them find employment.
“We worry about the youth and specifically worry about creating productive and sustainable employment, which is a challenge for all world economies but especially for our own,” she said.
Figures by the Statistics Centre Abu Dhabi released last year showed fluctuations in the unemployment rate for young Emirati women and men. For men, they were 7.3 per cent, 4.1 per cent and 5.5 per cent for 2005, 2011 and 2012. For women, they were 15.6, 16.5 and 18 per cent.
Encouraging Emirati entrepreneurs, even if they were already working, would greatly contribute to job creation and improving job satisfaction, said Abdullah Al Darmaki, chief executive of the Khalifa Fund.
With 61 per cent of those who received assistance from the fund employed in the public sector at present, Mr Al Darmaki said he was often asked why the Khalifa Fund helped those who were already working.
“We want to work with those who have experience in the field and understand what the challenges of setting up a business are,” he said.
“The fact that individuals are taking the steps to set up their business and finding out what it takes through the process is a success, regardless of whether they are profitable or not,” he said.
Other than the Khalifa Fund, budding Emirati entrepreneurs had few options to turn to for financial support, something which needed to change, Mr Al Darmaki said.
“Every time I talk to a CEO of a bank this funny conversation comes up, where they say let the Khalifa Fund take the hit for the first three years and then you can bring them to us. Entrepreneurs need to rub shoulders with the financial sector.”
Focusing on education as a tool to place Emiratis in the right field was also vital, said Maysa Jalbout, chief executive of Al Ghurair Foundation.
Ms Jalbout said the foundation, set up to support bright Emiratis who did not have the financial means or tools to achieve their potential, had the ambitious goal of providing 15,000 citizens with scholarships over the next 10 years.
“We tend to develop a cookie-cutter approach to reaching young people, but they have different needs and different talents,” she said.
The foundation found many Emiratis lacked basic skills that kept them from excelling, such as a low level of English language knowledge, or the confidence to apply to universities.
“Students have different requirements and we can’t look at them as innocent bystanders. We have to involve them in the process and ask them what they need,” Ms Jalbout said.
tsubaihi@thenational.ae
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How to protect yourself when air quality drops
Install an air filter in your home.
Close your windows and turn on the AC.
Shower or bath after being outside.
Wear a face mask.
Stay indoors when conditions are particularly poor.
If driving, turn your engine off when stationary.
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What is Genes in Space?
Genes in Space is an annual competition first launched by the UAE Space Agency, The National and Boeing in 2015.
It challenges school pupils to design experiments to be conducted in space and it aims to encourage future talent for the UAE’s fledgling space industry. It is the first of its kind in the UAE and, as well as encouraging talent, it also aims to raise interest and awareness among the general population about space exploration.
Our legal consultant
Name: Hassan Mohsen Elhais
Position: legal consultant with Al Rowaad Advocates and Legal Consultants
Indika
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AIR
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Sun jukebox
Rufus Thomas, Bear Cat (The Answer to Hound Dog) (1953)
This rip-off of Leiber/Stoller’s early rock stomper brought a lawsuit against Phillips and necessitated Presley’s premature sale to RCA.
Elvis Presley, Mystery Train (1955)
The B-side of Presley’s final single for Sun bops with a drummer-less groove.
Johnny Cash and the Tennessee Two, Folsom Prison Blues (1955)
Originally recorded for Sun, Cash’s signature tune was performed for inmates of the titular prison 13 years later.
Carl Perkins, Blue Suede Shoes (1956)
Within a month of Sun’s February release Elvis had his version out on RCA.
Roy Orbison, Ooby Dooby (1956)
An essential piece of irreverent juvenilia from Orbison.
Jerry Lee Lewis, Great Balls of Fire (1957)
Lee’s trademark anthem is one of the era’s best-remembered – and best-selling – songs.
Tips to keep your car cool
- Place a sun reflector in your windshield when not driving
- Park in shaded or covered areas
- Add tint to windows
- Wrap your car to change the exterior colour
- Pick light interiors - choose colours such as beige and cream for seats and dashboard furniture
- Avoid leather interiors as these absorb more heat
COMPANY%20PROFILE
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