Sunday, 01 March, 2015

Despite the concerns raised by falling oil prices in the UAE, new evidence from the University’s Career Development Centre shows that the country’s employers are looking towards the nation’s graduate talent pool more than ever before to fill emerging employment opportunities, whilst simultaneously working to develop internship positions for the UAE’s most promising university students.Figures released by UOWD have shown a 44 per cent surge in the number of companies advertising full-time, part-time and UAE National graduate positions via the UOWD Career Development Centre (CDC) online job board since 2013, with almost 500 opportunities advertised in 2014 alone.Similarly, there has been a 60 per cent rise in the number of students who have been offered either full time or part time employment in the past year from opportunities that have been advertised by UOWD’s CDC. Internships are also proving a increasingly popular method for employers to attract graduate talent, with a 56 per cent increase in the number of positions advertised since 2012.The University recently held its 10th Annual Career Fair, which attracted representatives from over 50 international companies who are experiencing rapid growth in the Middle East market, along with well-established national corporations and new UAE based start-up ventures. Attended by 500 of UOWD’s engineering, business, and humanities students and alumni, the Fair provided a clear display of the UAE’s buoyant graduate job market, witnessing a 42.8 per cent growth in the number of companies in attendance compared to 2012.Along with big names including Canon Emirates LLC, KPMG, Deloitte and Unilever, this year’s Fair also attracted a number of companies who have recently branched out into offering internship programs and are focused on growing the number of graduate positions available.“We wanted to introduce an internship program to nurture the culture of our organization,” commented Norhan Abouelela, HR Generalist and UOWD Alumni at logistics specialists Move One, who was attending the Fair for the first time to specifically recruit interns for a new program. “A good internship program is mutually beneficial – we can provide the experience, whilst the best interns bring with them a wealth of good ideas which can have a real impact on how an organization runs.”For Dr Mahmoud Said, CEO of Aafaq Islamic Finance, a focus on graduate recruitment is of utmost importance to future-proof a specialist business. Reaching out to universities is a chance to “engage with the future leaders of the financial sector…giving them the essential training needed in the rapidly growing Islamic finance segment,” he commented.Brett Lovegrove, UOWD’s Director of Administration and Strategy, said: “The figures released by the University provide further support that the UAE’s job market in 2015 is particularly strong, especially for graduates. Here at UOWD we work hard to ensure that the skills that our students learn during the course of their degree bridges the gap between academia and the work place, and our Student Services department are focused on ensuring that students are given the best possible opportunities through skills development workshops and briefing sessions. With the government’s focus on creating a knowledge-based, diversified economy and the employment opportunities arising from the 2020 World Expo, there couldn’t be a better time to be a student in Dubai.”