Al-Futtaim Group provided participants with an overview of the industry, tools to enhance their skills, and offered them an opportunity to explore potential careers within the group’s divisions
By creating a platform for networking and knowledge transfer, the Group seeks to encourage Emiratis to pursue careers in the retail and hospitality sectors
Dubai, UAE, Travel & Markets, June 2022: Al-Futtaim Group, the leading employer of choice for Emiratis in the private sector, and Dubai College of Tourism (DCT), part of Dubai’s Department of Economy and Tourism hosted a workshop for job seekers, students, and graduates in line with the group’s commitment to the UAE’s Emiratisation vision. Under DCT’s nationalisation initiative, a pilot event providing career guidance was held on Retail Awareness Day.
The workshop was based on the Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) that Al-Futtaim Group had earlier signed with DCT to further enhance cooperation between the two entities, specifically in training and providing employment to Emiratis in the hospitality and retail sectors.
Through the Retail Awareness Day workshop held under the motto ‘Here You Can’, Al-Futtaim Group provided participants with an overview of the industry, and tools to enhance their skills, as well as offering them an opportunity to explore potential job openings at Al-Futtaim. By creating a platform for networking and knowledge transfer, the group seeks to encourage Emiratis to pursue careers in the retail and hospitality sectors, as part of Al-Futtaim Group’s Emiratisation initiatives, and in support of the UAE’s great strides towards building a competitive knowledge economy.
Speaking about the Retail Awareness Day workshop, Hesham Ikhwan, HR Director, Al-Futtaim Retail, said: “We are committed to helping Emiratis advance their careers as part of our long-term strategy at Al-Futtaim Group. Providing training to UAE nationals within our workforce, we also extend the same opportunity to local talent with an interest in joining our group, with the goal of continuing to play an active role in reshaping the future of our nation’s youth.”
Mariam Al Maeeni, Director of Industry Nationalisation at Dubai College of Tourism, said: “We are delighted to have supported this initiative of Al-Futtaim Group to raise further awareness on career opportunities for UAE nationals, as part of our continuing efforts to attract and prepare talented Emiratis for gainful employment in key sectors that support sustainable growth across the economy and tourism. It is also a reflection of the strong spirit of collaboration between the government and the private sector in Dubai that will further help us achieve the goals of our industry nationalisation drive. The strong support extended by Al-Futtaim Group highlights the role of the retail sector in the implementation of Dubai’s tourism strategy designed to make it the world’s most sought-after destination and the best city in the world to live in and work.”
Kicking off with a meet and greet, the event opened with introductions and icebreakers where attendees engaged in one-to-one discussions. Participants then took part in a retail orientation, which was followed by success stories from local talent. The workshop also comprised store visits to leading retailers Marks & Spencer and IKEA, in addition to real-life customer experience role-play simulations.
