Dubai, 22nd May 2013 (WAM) -- Abdullah bin Mohammed Ghobash, Minister of State, opened the 2nd edition of Vision2Reality, (V2R) which was organised by the the Department of Economic Development (DED) and Sharjah Islamic Bank Academy (SIBA) and took place at Dubai World Trade Centre.

Themed ?Building Tomorrow's Leaders Today?, the conference was attended by a large number of business leaders and entrepreneurs from government and private sectors as well as Emiratization programme directors. It focused on exploring visions for attracting and developing national talents and strategic initiatives to support Emiratization, in addition to discussing youth?s aspirations. The conference also discussed solutions and best practices to achieve balance between youth?s needs and the requirements in the job market.

In his opening speech Ali Ibrahim, Deputy Director General for Planning and Development Affairs at DED, said, "Through this 2nd edition of Visions2Reality" we call on the public and private sectors to discover solutions and unify efforts to enable nationals in all sectors, increase productivity and boost excellence at all levels. This conference is platform for exchange of knowledge and building partnerships in the country".

Speaking on the occasion,Mohammed Abdullah, CEO of Sharjah Islamic Bank, said: "Business leaders and human resources directors in the private sector are aware of the strategic importance of adopting an effective Emiratization strategy and its positive results on the long term. We must support these efforts by learning, understanding, and adopting ?best practices? that have been proven successful by other sectors, particularly following the announcement by His Highness Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice President Prime Minister of the UAE and Ruler of Dubai, declaring 2013 as a year of Emiratization."Mohammed Abdullah added: "Through this approach, we are striving to fulfil our role as a national institution and vital element of our nation?s fabric. We aim to contribute to achieving the country?s vision through joint efforts and the exchange of experience."Nasser Butti Al Shamsi, Director General of the National Human Resources Development and Employment Authority (TANMIA), said: "The national strategic planning adopted by the authority is based on the directives and visions of our leaders in the UAE and focuses on five main elements, namely vision, planning, enabling, Emiratization, and guidance".

The opening session concluded with a discussion panel featuring three students from Sharjah Higher Colleges of Technology who spoke about the fears of graduates with regards to working in the private sector and their tendency to opt to work in government sector. They shared their experience in working in private sector with . They dispelled myths regarding the perceived instability of work in private sector and clarified the system of salaries and bonuses, promotions, leave and additional work hours.

Mr Ibrahim Moosa Jamel, Director of Operations for TECOM Investments Education Cluster, delivered a presentation about ?How to make our youth the employees of choice?, in which he presented some statistics about the rate of Emiratization in public and private sector. He added that there are 13000 Emirati graduates annually and that government sector is unable to provide jobs to all of them.

In the second presentation, titled ?Addressing Emirati Youth: Converting stumbling blocks into stepping-stones?, Marwan bin Jassim Al Sarkal, CEO of the Sharjah Investment and Development Authority (Shurooq), said, "There are a number of solutions for Emiratization in the private sector, including coordination between the Ministry of Higher Education and Ministry of Labour to match the education outcomes with market requirements. New graduates should not fear failure and must keep trying."In the first of four presentations focused on best practices in the implementation of Emiratisation, Aisha Al Shareef, Director Talent & Organisational Development at Dubai Holding, talked about ?Best Practices in Recruitment and Developing New Employees?. She stressed that national talents are able to succeed and must be given opportunity, training, and career development.

Abdul Rahman Sami Saqr, Senior Vice President of Human Resources at First Gulf Bank, explored ?Best Practices in Career and Leadership Development?. She said, "The old fashioned stereotyped impression about the work of Emirati employees must be changed as they are now well educated, highly skilled and working diligently." Hamad Eghdani, Director of Government Relations & Emiratisation at Emaar Hospitality Group, presented ?Best Practices in Retention of UAE Nationals? in which he focused on the importance of creating a favourable working environment that gives the employee peace of mind. He called on firms to provide training and career development opportunities to graduates.

Mohanna Al Muhairi, COO of the Emirates Foundation, looked at ?How to be the Employers of Choice of UAE Nationals?. He said that the success of Emiratization requires the nurturing of national talents and the appointment of these talents in the right position that best fit their education and skills.

Copyright Emirates News Agency (WAM) 2013.