Al Ain hospital sets out for 60 per cent Emiratisation rate by year’s end 01.05.2012: Healthcare providers use Al Ain Education & Career Fair as key platform for promoting healthcare careers for UAE Nationals

Healthcare providers use Al Ain Education & Career Fair as key platform for promoting healthcare careers for UAE Nationals




Caption:    Al Ain Hospital is offering key positions to UAE Nationals for middle and senior management roles at the Al Ain Education & Career Fair.


Al Ain Hospital is embarking on a significant recruitment drive at the Al Ain Education & Career Fair this week, as it looks to boost the portion of UAE Nationals among its workforce to reach 60 per cent by the end of 2012.


The hospital, in collaboration with Fatima College of Health Sciences, is currently at the three day event, which opened yesterday and concludes tomorrow (Wednesday 2 May) at the Al Khabisi Wedding Celebration Hall, with plans to encourage high school students and job aspirants to opt for a career in the healthcare sector.


While latest figures show that the Emiratisation rate for the healthcare sector in Abu Dhabi stands at a lowly 6.4 per cent, Al Ain Hospital is keen to reverse the trend, as it lays out ambitious plans to be the largest rehabilitation centre in the Middle East by 2016.


“Our workforce currently consists of 453 UAE Nationals working in the clinical and non clinical departments at Al Ain Hospital, and we plan to have UAE Nationals comprising 60 per cent of our total workforce by the end of 2012,” said George Jepson, CEO of Al Ain Hospital.


“We are looking for UAE Nationals with a background in the healthcare and technical departments, preferably from senior administrative roles, to acquire leading positions within the hospital.”


“We are also encouraging high school students to choose healthcare as a career in the future and enrol themselves in technical courses through education entities such as Fatima College of Health Sciences, Higher Colleges of Technologies and the UAE University.


Saeed Ali Al Dhaheri, Human Resources Director at Al Ain Hospital said that working closely with different educational institutes and recruiting students with clinical majors in key positions such as pharmacists, physiotherapists and radiographers will help facilitate it in becoming the most technically skilled hospital in the region.


“The Al Ain Education & Career Fair gives us the opportunity to become a strategic partner with the Abu Dhabi Government Mandate and support Emiratisation in the healthcare sector,” said Dhaheri. “This is an ideal platform to attract UAE Nationals looking to undertake key positions within the middle and senior management roles and build up a database of competent candidates for job opportunities in the future.”


Other hospitals and healthcare education providers taking part this year at Al Ain Education & Career Fair include Oasis Hospital, and the Royal College of Surgeons in Ireland-Dubai, which is participating for the first time and is offering both undergraduate and postgraduate courses in Healthcare Management and Quality & Safety Management.


Supported by the Emirates National Development Programme, and strategically located in Al Ain due to its large population of Emirati school leavers and university graduates, Al Ain Education & Career Fair focuses on career, training and education opportunities in the UAE for young Emiratis contemplating their future educational aspirations and career direction.


Providing a dual platform for education providers and employers in the UAE, the exhibition is Al Ain’s annual showcase event for universities and training institutes seeking students, and for leading employers searching for talented UAE Nationals in an effort to support their Emiratisation initiatives.


The UAE Presidential Guard – Diamond Sponsor of the event – and Gold Sponsors Etihad Airways, Etihad Rail, ADNOC, and Etisalat, all have a number of positions available for UAE Nationals as they look to keep their Emiratisation targets for the remainder of 2012 well in their sights. 


Other major employers signed up include the Abu Dhabi Food Control Authority (ADFCA), Mubadala Aerospace, Abu Dhabi Investment Authority, Abu Dhabi Farmers Services Centre, and General Holding Corporation, the UAE’s largest industrial conglomerate, whose companies include Emirates Steel, Arkan, Agthia and the National Petroleum Construction Company.


The Al Ain Education & Career Fair returns this year with regular show features the AIESEC Assessment Centre, and the Advice Clinic, where qualified Emirati counsellors provide visitors with career path guidance.



-Gareth Wright, Total Communications Dubai - also photo