More than 100 human resources experts from Dubai’s hospitality sector attended the second DCT HR Forum organised recently by the Dubai College of Tourism (DCT).

The forum was designed to provide recruitment and training specialists in hotels the opportunity to get a better understanding of UAE’s labour laws and find solutions to various work-related challenges.

DCT, an institution established by Dubai’s Department of Tourism and Commerce Marketing (Dubai Tourism),  plays a key role in human resources development in the emirate’s tourism industry and serves as a crucial link between Dubai Tourism and the trade to further enhance the quality of tourism services and the overall visitor experience.

During the event held at The Address – Boulevard Hotel, speakers from government and private sector entities addressed the gathering of human resources professionals, covering topics such as Emiratisation, labour laws, and recruitment of staff. The participants were able to glean useful information and get advice from experts during the Q & A session that followed each presentation.

Olivier R. Harnisch, CEO of Emaar Hospitality, praised the work done by DCT and highlighted the fact that its Emiratisation objectives align with that of Emaar Hospitality. Major Majid AlZarouni, head of Licensing Department, Security Industry Regulatory Agency (SIRA), a unit of Dubai Police that is responsible for the training of security guards, spoke on issues related to the hiring of security guards including their visas and salaries.

Another session addressed by Ahmed Mohamed Alhosany, assistant legal researcher, Ministry of Human Resources and Emiratisation, gave an update on labour laws, and answered questions on overtime work, sharing of staff under a single visa and working on Fridays. He also announced that as a part of the UAE’s Year of Giving, the Ministry of Human Resources and Emiratisation has launched a WhatsApp Hotline service in Arabic to cater to queries on labour rules and regulations and related topics.

Jeff Strachan, director, Business Development at DCT, gave an overview on DCT, its future direction and current programmes including  its interactive training course, ‘Dubai Way’ designed for government and private sector staff engaged in tourist-facing roles in various service sectors. - TradeArabia News Service