Abu Dhabi: The Department of Culture and Tourism — Abu Dhabi (DCT Abu Dhabi) has unveiled a new series of training programmes and Emiratisation initiatives to enable greater Emirati participation in the emirate’s tourism sector.
The programmes will develop the knowledge and skills of existing tourism and hospitality workers in the private sector, and will highlight employment opportunities in the sector.
“We have an outstanding Emirati and international talent pool in Abu Dhabi, with the necessary skills and aptitudes to succeed in the emirate’s exciting and rapidly-growing tourism sector. Through this revamped Emiratisation and sector-wide training programme, we can maximise the potential of our UAE workforce, fulfil our strategic goal to create a thriving and diverse tourism eco-system, while also building bridges between cultures by allowing visitors to meet and interact with both Emiratis and a range of other nationalities across our tourism assets,” said Saleh Al Geziry, director-general for tourism at DCT Abu Dhabi.
Introducing young Emiratis
The sector training topics exclusively targeted to Emiratis include the Tourism Youth Summer Camp, a two-week programme to introduce young Emiratis aged between 17 and 21 years to the hospitality and tourism industries, as well as the part-time Khebraty programme, an initiative aimed at offering Emirati university and college students temporary work opportunities in the sector. The Khoutwa programme provides young Emiratis with the necessary guidance and skills to join the sector. An additional programme, the Training Needs Analysis and Labour Marker Assessment project, is open to hospitality employees of all nationalities, evaluating current capabilities against international best practices and focusing on strengthening the skills and abilities of Abu Dhabi’s hospitality and tourism employees.
Identifying challenges
The calendar was announced during a sector meeting hosted by DCT Abu Dhabi and attended by 72 representatives from 42 of Abu Dhabi’s leading hotels and attractions. During the session, Rita Haddad, at DCT Abu Dhabi, led an innovation lab session in order to identify challenges in human capital development and Emiratisation of the tourism sector, and to create innovative solutions to mitigate these issues.
The session also included a taster of one of the new training modules for industry frontliners, which covered etiquette and understanding when working with People of Determination. This aligns with DCT Abu Dhabi’s overall strategy to develop the emirate as an accessible and inclusive destination for all.
