Dubai Aluminium (Dubal), a leading aluminium smelter, recently hosted a customised national development programme for select students from the Institute of Applied Technology (IAT).

The eight-week programme, which ran from July 5 to August 27, gave the students a structured introduction to working in an industrial environment along with valuable hands-on experience in their respective fields of speciality.

The individual students, who were from diverse engineering backgrounds (electronics, auto-mechanic, mechanical and general engineering) were deployed in the Jebel Ali-based company’s technical workshop areas so as to obtain the practical experience required to complement their theoretical education in the classroom.

The workshop areas included the IT workshop, residential area, garage, rigging & inspection, electrical instrumentation workshop, and equipment repair shop.

Each student was assigned an individual mentor and regular feedback meetings were held, attended by a representative of Dubal’s recruitment department, the students’ IAT supervisor and the respective mentor.

The students also attended a presentation on Dubal’s safety regulations, were outfitted with appropriate safety gear, and went on a conducted tour of the plant. The programme concluded with a small farewell function, at which certificates and gifts were presented to the students.

Dubal also paid each student a small salary, as additional motivation for completing the programme.

“This year’s IAT students’ summer training programme was very well received by the students and their mentors; and the feedback received was extremely positive,” said Marwan Al Sawaleh, general manager, HR.

“Our overall aim in conducting this annual summer training initiative is to attract IAT students to Dubal, thereby increasing the proportion of UAE nationals employed by our company,” he added.

“Once they have completed their schooling, we are hoping they will be interested in enrolling for one of our pre-employment courses, which we offer in various disciplines; or signing up for our graduate trainee programme once they complete their tertiary education.

“It’s a proven formula and is in keeping with the memorandum of understanding signed between Dubal and IAT in 2008 with the aim of establishing the framework form a training partnership between the two organisations,” Al Sawaleh added. – TradeArabia News Service