Dubai: The UAE’s General Civil Aviation Authority (GCAA) hosted a Youth Circle titled ‘Youth & Sustainability in Aviation’ in one of Emirates’ maintenance hangars at Dubai International Airport.
The Youth Circle, which was held in conjunction with the Ministry of Youth Affairs and Emirates Engineering, was attended by around 70 young Emiratis representing a range of technical and managerial backgrounds in the aviation sector. The aim of the gathering was to discuss issues that young Emiratis face in building sustainable careers in the aviation sector and propose potential solutions for the issues raised.
The group discussed a number of topics related to sustainable career development, as well as the future of the aviation sector in the UAE. The discussions specifically focused on a number of initiatives that closely align education with potential careers in aviation and programmes, with the aim to encourage Emirati youth to take up more technical and non-technical sector jobs.
The Aviation Youth Circle was attended by Shaikh Ahmad Bin Saeed Al Maktoum, President of the Dubai Civil Aviation Authority and Chairman and Chief Executive of Emirates airline and Group; Shamma Suhail Faris Al Mazroui, Minister of State for Youth; and Saif Mohammad Al Suwaidi, director-general of the GCAA.
“It is vital that we encourage more young Emiratis to have flourishing careers in the aviation sector in the UAE. It is a crucial part of our economy making up around 15 per cent of our nation’s GDP,” said Shaikh Ahmad.
The main outcomes from the discussion were to establish a ‘Youth Aviation Council’ — an idea proposed by GCAA — which will include a course about civil aviation in the national service programme.
“Young people are our future, so by listening to the youth of today and empowering them, we are building a platform for achieving excellence in the future. Youth Circles provide an important forum for our youth to communicate in an open and honest way with our companies and our leaders,” said Al Mazroui.
During the circle, a number of the UAE’s brightest youth were also honoured for their contributions to the aviation sector.
The Youth Circles initiative governed by Emirates Youth Council and Launched by His Highness Shaikh Mohammad Bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice-President and Prime Minister of the UAE and Ruler of Dubai, is designed to inspire youth-centric dialogue across a variety of areas for sustainable engagement with young people and to shape innovative solutions for global challenges. The circles represent different genders, fields and age groups participating in a dialogue. Each participant has an equal opportunity to express and share opinion to shape a solution or a policy.
