By Rafiq Vayani
DUBAI: Al-Futtaim Group, a leading diversified and progressive, privately held regional family business headquartered in Dubai, has surpassed its Emiratisation target of 10 per cent to achieve an impressive rate of 13.4 per cent in 2023. This reflects the Group’s commitment to empowering Emirati talents by providing employment opportunities and supporting their professional growth.
Mira Omar Al Futtaim, Chairperson of the Al-Futtaim Group Emiratisation Council, emphasised that the Group attributes great importance to Emiratisation and supports national strategies in this regard, saying “The Group has been relentlessly striving and embarking on numerous initiatives to enhance the participation of Emirati competencies as well as develop their skills, under the umbrella of the Emiratisation strategy in Al-Futtaim Group. These efforts have resulted in exceeding target and achieving unprecedented levels of Emirati cadre participation across our various taskforces.”
This achievement came within two years of the Al-Futtaim Group introducing its Emiratisation strategy. This strategy serves as an integrated framework for the Group’s initiatives and programs aimed at promoting the participation of Emirati competencies in the labour market and supporting government plans to expand the presence of Emirati cadres in various sectors. Since its launch, the strategy has been a qualitative shift in the efforts of the Al-Futtaim Group, providing a road map for its initiatives and objectives within the Emiratisation path and enhancing the presence of national competencies in various sectors within the Group.
The group recorded a significant increase in the number of Emiratis in its five divisions, reaching 1347 by the end of last year 2023. This remarkable achievement reinforces Al-Futtaim Group’s position as a leader in Emiratisation, aligning with the objectives set by the Emiratisation initiatives in Dubai and the UAE. It also underscores the Group’s ongoing efforts to support governmental plans aimed at enhancing the skills and presence of Emirati cadres across various sectors.
The increase in the Emiratisation rate within the Al-Futtaim Group can be attributed to a combination of factors, including the creation of a conducive work environment that encourages the effective participation of national talents. The Group’s robust Emiratisation programs and strategies, such as Sinyar, the Emiratisation platform, summer work programs, vocational training, and other initiatives, have played a significant role in developing the skill sets and career opportunities of Emiratis.
Al-Futtaim Group seeks to provide job opportunities and training programs that enhance the presence of our national cadres in the various departments within the organisation, driven by the outstanding results of its numerous innovative initiatives. The number of entrants to the administrative trainee program from Sinyar is 111 trainees. The program provides the opportunity for new graduates who aspire to work in Al-Futtaim Group to build their careers with the organisation through a comprehensive and systematic education program. In 2023, the number of employees who received virtual training was 399, while the number of members within the explorer program from Sinyar were 57 citizens. The summer training program saw 131 UAE cadres enrolled by the end of last year. These figures reflect Al-Futtaim Group’s desire to support and empower as many national talents as possible as well as provide them with qualitative training and practical experience so that they are ready to assume various positions.
Al-Futtaim Group attributes higher significance to reinforcing its partnerships to support government initiatives that are targeted at increasing Emiratis’ participation in the job market and offering them significant opportunities for professional as well as personal growth. Furthermore, the Group supports the government program – ‘Nafis’ – and is a member of the Emirati Human Resources Development Council, which implements plans and strategies to increase Emiratisation in the private sector.
For more than 20 years, Al-Futtaim Group has launched a series of large-scale initiatives to attract citizens to the company’s team and develop the skills of the Emirati human component. The Group seeks to empower UAE nationals through its Al-Futtaim Group Emiratisation Council and Emiratisation (Sinyar Platform), as well as various career development and upskilling initiatives.
