Arabtec Holding, a leading engineering and construction group, has launched a new subsidiary geared towards providing education, training and certification of UAE nationals within the construction and training sectors.

The new subsidiary will be a profit-driven entity which will work to establish schools followed by universities and specialised training institutes that will educate and train Emirati nationals, enabling them to start their careers in the oil and gas and construction sectors.

The new subsidiary will also pave the way towards fulfilling Arabtec’s need for technicians, workers and engineers to work on current and planned projects across a variety of sectors; including energy, oil and gas, infrastructure, transportation including ports, airports and railways, and industrial facilities management.

At a later stage, this education arm, considered the first of its kind in the Mena region, aims to produce a generation of highly qualified talents that can support the needs of various companies industries within the construction sector. This will support in the advancement of the sector by ensuring the availability of highly capable, thoroughly trained employees.

“The need for skilled talents within our company continues to rise, as we currently employ over 60 thousand staff and labourers who can always benefit from vocational training,” said Hasan Ismaik, managing director and CEO of Arabtec Holding

“We also expect to employ thousands more as part of our expansion plans, to support Arabtec in continuing to deliver excellence in all of its projects across all sectors.”

The company’s responsibilities extend beyond training, as it will focus on raising awareness amongst Emirati citizens about the construction and contracting industries, and attracting the right local talents in the engineering and technical fields as they always offer excellent employment opportunities.

“We hope that, through the new arm, we will be able to produce a highly skilled generation that will be a strong asset and valuable addition to their employers. We see our role transcends beyond mere provision of employment opportunities to include training knowledge promotion through well-structured academic programmes to the best international standards,” added Ismaik.

The programmes taught at the academic facilities were specifically designed to enhance employee productivity and encourage their professional development and creativity while promoting the importance of loyalty, transparency and integrity in the workplace.

Dr Abdulrahman Al Hammadi was appointed by Arabtec to head its new subsidiary. Dr Al Hammadi will be in charge of planning and implementation of the foundations for these academic institutes, as well as the selection of suitable curriculums to match each sector in line with best practices.

Dr Al Hammadi comes to his new role from Arabtec Construction, where, as he was head of Emiratisation.

“We aim to launch our programmes in phases, the first of which aimed entirely at serving Arabtec’s needs for training and employment. At a later stage, we will extend our training facilities to encompass other technicians and engineers, and deliver them into the construction sector within UAE and across the region,” said Dr Al Hammadi.

Arabtec’s subsidiary Arabtec Construction signed an agreement in February with the Abu Dhabi Vocational Education and Training Institute to train and certify nationals looking for work, and to employ them in the sectors of health and safety, quantity surveying and project management at Arabtec.

This agreement will see Arabtec employ 150 students over five rounds, with ten students in each programme to total of 30 students per round. The company will also offer contracts for students in which it will provide a monthly income for them throughout their study period and recruitment support following graduation. – TradeArabia News Service