The Ministry of Human Resources and Emiratization confirmed that vocational training programmes for national cadres implemented by private sector establishments and employers with the goal of qualifying young Emiratis for the labour market do not meet the required annual Emiratization rates or targets, explaining that the targeted Emiratization rates for skilled Emiratis are calculated from work permits for citizens registered in the Ministry's approved system.
Last February, the Ministry approved an amendment to the Cabinet decision on the mechanism for achieving the targeted annual growth rates for Emiratisation, stipulating that a growth rate in Emiratisation of 1% of skilled jobs be achieved by the end of June, provided that it reaches the target rate of growth of 2% by the end of the year.
The Ministry specified four primary prerequisites on its official website for certifying the Emiratisation aims of the establishments registered with it, which include 50 skilled personnel or more. The first need is that the citizen have a valid work permit, and the second requirement is that his pay be paid through the wage protection system or any other method. Approved by a competent authority in the state, as well as that the citizen be registered with the state's approved pension funds, and finally that the relationship between the citizen and the facility is a contractual relationship that fulfils all terms and conditions in accordance with the labour relations law and its executive regulations, as well as the applicable decisions implementing them.
The Ministry stated that establishments with 50 or more workers must commit to increasing their current Emiratisation rates by 2% annually in skill levels, and achieve a rate of 10% increase until 2026, by increasing the number of national workers they have, emphasising that if the establishment breaches the commitment to Emiratisation rates scheduled for two consecutive years, it will be reclassified into the third category according to the classification approved.
The Ministry reiterated its warning to employers against engaging in any practises that involve manipulation, fraud, or violations of the Emiratization targets, noting that "fictitious localization" requires imposing a fine of 20,000 dirhams on the establishment for each citizen worker, as well as noncompliance with the established procedures regarding employment or termination. For each instance of citizen service, a fine of 20,000 dirhams is imposed.
While the Emirati Cadres Competitiveness Council (Nafes) stated that it had allocated a training programme for national cadres from recent graduates called the "Experience Programme" with the goal of providing them with the expertise that qualifies them to enter the labour market in the private sector, as a monthly financial reward is provided to the citizen throughout the period. Training for a maximum of 12 months, with training contracts certified by the Ministry of Human Resources and Emiratisation required as a requirement for receiving financial support for the "Experience" programme.
In response to a large number of national cadres' questions and observations, and in response to the "Nafes" accounts on social media platforms, the Council stated that the approved period for the training programme ending in employment "Experience," which is one of the "Nafes" programmes, reaches a maximum of 12 months. During which a financial reward is paid to the trained citizen, amounting to 8,000 dirhams for a university graduate, 6,500 dirhams for a diploma holder, and 4,000 dirhams for a high school graduate, emphasising the importance of companies participating in the programme being registered and approved by "Nafes," and committing to hiring the citizen during or after the training period.
The council stated that in order to be eligible for the training reward in private employers, the trainee citizen must first obtain a training permit from the Ministry of Human Resources and Emiratisation, and that registering companies to be part of "Nafes" by creating accounts for them on the employment platform is optional.
Collaborations in training
The Emirati Cadres Competitiveness Council (Nafes) announced that it has recently formed numerous partnerships with federal and local authorities involved in the "Nafes" programme, with the goal of supporting and implementing the training programmes included in the initiatives, most notably the UAE University, the Abu Dhabi Global Market Academy, and the Centre of Excellence for Applied Research and Training (Centre for Applied Research and Training). CERT), the commercial, research, and training arm of the Higher Colleges of Technology, as well as the Fatima College of Health Sciences, which is affiliated with the Abu Dhabi Centre for Technical and Vocational Education and Training (ACTVET), and the Federal Youth Corporation, as well as many private and semi-private companies that meet the program's criteria.
