Abu Dhabi: While some Emiratis see the career exhibition as a greet opportunity to explore the job market, others are disappointed with the number of vacancies offered as well as lack of feedback from employers, jobseekers told Gulf News.
Zahra Al Thani, a 24-year-old Emirati jobseeker, said: “The exhibition is a great opportunity for UAE nationals to explore the job market and benefit from the Emiratisation initiatives undertaken by leading companies in the country. I am pretty confident I will find the right career path at Tawdheef.”
Unlike Zahra, Sharifa Al Saqqaf, a 25-year-old Emirati from Al Ain, told Gulf News,“I graduated from the Higher Colleges of Technology in 2008. Since then I have joined several training programmes with different companies in Al Ain and gained good work experience. However, until now I haven’t been able to find a full-time job.”
“Employers need to expand their operations in Al Ain to help Emiratis find jobs. Employment opportunities for women in the city are scarce. It is easier to get a job opportunity in Abu Dhabi or Dubai, but I cannot leave my family and move there,” Sharifa, a mother of two children, told Gulf News.
“I went to Tawdheef and applied to many companies, but no one ever calls back, not just this year, but also in previous years. I have gone to career fairs in Al Ain and met many employers in person; however, there aren’t enough jobs here,” she added
Diversified international energy company Taqa had a successful three days at Tawdheef, introducing its 18-month graduate training programme, with the aim of recruiting at least five graduates at the show.
Muhanna Al Nuaimi, a 24-year-old management graduate at Taqa, who was recruited at Tawdheef in 2013, told Gulf News, “I graduated from the University of Sharjah last year and I applied to Taqa during the Tawdheef exhibition. They conducted an interview, asked several questions about my qualifications and expectations and called back to inform me that I had been accepted to join their training programme.”
“I am currently enrolled in a one-year training programme. I get a competitive salary and I am treated as a full-time employee. I have had the opportunity to travel around the world and participate in several competitions,” he said.
When asked if he had got enough feedback from employers when he submitted his resume last year at the Tawdheef fair, he answered, “Most of the companies I applied to have given me feedback, either a yes or a no. Tawdheef is here for us. Employers see a great potential in UAE nationals.”
Tawdheef 2014 was held under the patronage of Shaikh Nahyan Bin Mubarak Al Nahyan, Minister of Culture, Youth and Community Development.
The three-day fair, which ended yesterday, attracted thousands of Emirati jobseekers and fresh graduates at the Abu Dhabi National Exhibition Centre (Adnec).
New Recognition Award
In efforts to encourage exhibitors to be as proactive as possible during the Tawdheef show and support thousands of Emiratis in their search for a job, the fair’s organisers have launched a new recognition award.
The award will be presented to the company which conducts the most interviews on the exhibition floor, in the weeks following the event.
Forty-three organisations are in the running to receive the award, representing a combination of government, semi-government and private institutions.
“The recognition award is a really good idea; it encourages employers to meet candidates face to face. Within the first few hours of the show opening, we had already conducted more than 15 interviews at our stand,“ Bouchra Navel, Emiratisation development manager at UAE Exchange, said.
