Seventy per cent of exhibitors at Careers UAE, the UAE’s leading recruitment fair, represent local government organisations, with Dubai Government alone reporting over 400 vacancies available for Emiratis.

The government entities are positive they will fill at least 50 per cent of these positions during the three-day job fair which is held under the patronage of Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice President and Prime Minister of the UAE and Ruler of Dubai.

With 29 government entities represented at the Dubai Government stand, Rashed Essa Al Yedaiwi, head of Leaders Development Programs Section Mohammed Bin Rashid Centre For Leadership Development, DGHR believes Careers UAE is the perfect platform to search for the best local talent in the market and is advising all fresh graduates searching for jobs to push themselves to be the best they can be.

Al Yedaiwi said: “In 2016 we filled half of our vacancies at the show. We expect this year to have recruited for at least 200 of our new positions, which include opportunities in a range of entities such as Dubai Courts, Dubai Culture, Dubai Sports Council and Department of Finance, to name a few.

“Emiratis visiting the show should come prepared. Depending on the nature of the opportunity available, graduates could be interviewed and hired on the spot. We also offer a lot of training, workshops, networking and advice throughout the exhibition for locals who are searching for something new or are unsure of what career they want to go into. We hope with our guidance, training and expertise we can enlighten them to start pursuing their dream job straight away and match them with an opportunity we have available within Dubai Government so they can start their career immediately.”

The Dubai Health Authority (DHA) is looking to fill more than 400 jobs this year in different healthcare fields such as medical, nursing, paramedical and administration. UAE oil and gas company Enoc are also recruiting for 70 different positions as well as telecommunications leader Etisalat who have 100 roles available.

Government agencies aren’t alone in their recruitment efforts in the UAE. With more than 40 different nationalities in their Dubai office, private entities such as Pepsico are using Careers UAE as an opportunity to recruit the best Emirati talent for their Management Trainee Programme, full time roles and internship positions, in a bid to give back to society and invest in and develop local talent.

Zahra Shaikh, talent acquisition manager, Asia, Mena said: “Our Dubai office is the one of the most diverse in the world, in terms of its workforce; however, we still have some way to go, to increase Emirati representation.”

“Participating in Careers UAE plays a key part in promoting our offerings for local talent and exposes us to hundreds of potential employees. Last year we hired six Emirati’s for our Management Trainee Programme and this year we are looking for between six to ten candidates, to start with us this September. However, that being said if we find the right person with the right skills, we have flexibility to create jobs and therefore in that sense we have an unlimited number of vacancies available.

“For skilled individuals who really want a challenge, want to excel in their career and want to make an impact, then we are interested in talking to them. There isn’t a specific criterion for what we are searching for; we just know talent and passion when we see it. We can customise our programmes to fit the ideal candidate and we are hopeful that we will find lots of new recruits over the course of the fair,” Shaikh added.

Providing businesses with a critical supply of highly qualified young Emirati talent, the first day of the three-day fair featured a host of interactive sessions and activities including The Talent Hunt organised by InternsME, the UAE’s largest internship job site.

A live marketplace for talented UAE youth and the region's top employers, the feature takes place across the show to bring the most talented Emirati students and young graduates into one place, making it easy for companies to meet, interview and set follow-ups or hire on the spot.

New to the show this year, the Hopscotch Women’s Conference will take place today (10 April), offering female delegates hands-on training, coaching, inspiration and opportunities for women in the workplace.

Careers UAE 2017 concludes tomorrow (April 11) at Dubai World Trade Centre. – TradeArabia News Service