Technology & IT | Wednesday 3 October, 2018 12:45 pm |

Under the patronage of His Highness Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice President and Prime Minister of the UAE and Ruler of Dubai, du, from Emirates Integrated Telecommunications Company (EITC) won the MOHRE Emiratization Award at a ceremony held at the Presidency Palace in Abu Dhabi. The ceremony was attended by HH Sheikh Saif bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Interior and HH Sheikh Mansour bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Presidential Affairs. Fahad Al Hassawi, Deputy Chief Executive Officer of Telco Services at EITC, received the award on behalf of du.

The telco won the award in the Advanced Technology Companies category for implementing notable policies to promote Emiratization and support UAE national employees. The award for this category is presented to an enterprise or company that meets several criteria within its institutional operating system, including the internal work environment, innovation rates, employee development and training programs.

Commenting on the win, Al Hassawi said: "We are truly proud to receive the MOHRE Emiratization Award by His Highness Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice President, Prime Minister and Ruler of Dubai, which is a testament to our Emiratization efforts over the years. We at EITC, have always believed that one of our foremost responsibilities is towards developing talent, in particular, Emirati talent by helping them develop and grow, proving our commitment to contribute to the UAE’s knowledge economy vision.”

He added: “In line with the directives of our leadership, we are dedicated to continually support UAE nationals in their professional journey and build a generation of innovators and creators in the field of ICT.”

Through its numerous initiatives, training and professional development programs, du is one of the most successful Emiratization companies in the industry. The company's strategy focuses on recruiting young Emiratis and attracting talent through its ongoing participation in various recruitment fairs across the UAE and open recruitment through universities and academic institutions.

Masaar, du’s Graduate Trainee (GT) programme is a major contribution of the company towards its Emiratization goals. During the past year, the company's national development team has continued to provide programs to develop UAE talent through initiatives such as vocational training, summer training and scholarships at the American University of Dubai.

Ehab Hassan, Chief Executive Officer at du, said: "We are truly honoured to have won the MOHRE Emiratization Award, a result of teamwork and various initiatives to attract, recruit and strengthen Emirati talent. We are keen to place Emirati candidates in suitable positions across the company and as a result, a third of our total workforce is currently comprised of UAE nationals. We affirm our commitment to emerging UAE talent in line with the government's vision to establish an advanced economy based on knowledge and innovation. "

As a result of its outstanding Emiratization policies, du has doubled the number of UAE nationals employed since 2006. Emirati employees form 33% of the total workforce, highest among all 65 nationalities within du. In addition, Emirati women account for 67% of the du’s local workforce and 66% of UAE nationals hold leadership positions across all departments in the telco. du’s Fujairah Contact Centre is staffed by 90% female Emiratis.

du has developed a comprehensive strategy to retain Emirati talent through ROEYA, its Career Development Programme along with multiple training courses for employees to help prepare them for an upward career trajectory.

The company's professional learning and development team gives priority to training UAE nationals and enhances their leadership through the Leadership Academy, which has witnessed the graduation of more than 200 UAE national employees so far from different levels of the company.

Moreover, du has registered its highly qualified Emirati employees with outstanding executive programs such as INSEAD and the Women Leaders Program at the University of Ashridge, UK.

Moreover, du has signed agreements to host Secondment & Knowledge Exchange programmes with strategic partners such as KPMG, Zain KSA, IBM, Nokia and Huawei. The team has also sponsored on-job certification and provided exposure to International and National conferences.

The telco is a staunch supporter of the Government Accelerator Programme, an initiative run by the Ministry of Human Resource & Emiratization, and has committed to hire 37 UAE Nationals in EITC across all functions.