UAE jobs: At least 10,000 highly skilled Indian workers to be employed by next year

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The Indian Consulate hopes to get jobs for at least 10,000 highly skilled workers through the Training for Emirates Jobs and Skills (Tejas) project by next year. Working with the National Skill Development Corporation (NSDC), the Consulate aims to create a pathway to avoid unscrupulous recruiting agents and equip its citizens with the skills needed to find employment overseas.

Representatives of the NSDC work in the field in UAE to gauge demand for jobs and provide the needed training to its workers in hospitality, healthcare and retail. The program was launched in March this year as part of the Expo 2020.

The training programs of Tejas takes place partly in India and Dubai according to the nature of the jobs. “In the case of driving, training systems are created to replicate the UAE driving model and left-handed cars,” said Tadu Mamu, Consul (Press, Information, Culture & Labour) at the Consulate General. “Once they are trained there, they can get their driving license much more easily here.

In addition, the Indian Consulate is also running a series of upskilling programs for blue-collar workers in the country. Conducted in coordination with associations and universities, it aims to improve the skillsets like English language and IT and the employability of Indian workers in the UAE.

Size of the community is our strength

These announcements came as part of the celebrations to mark two years since the Indian Consulate began providing services 365 days a year. “We started doing this in the midst of the pandemic where we realized that at such a time when the world is facing an unprecedented healthcare crisis, we need to step up,” said Dr Aman Puri, Consul General of India in Dubai. “It was not an easy task for us; however, this initiative has made our work much more streamlined and efficient. We are grateful to our team for taking on this responsibility on their shoulders.”

The Consul General thanked Indian associations for their support in helping the Consulate meet the demand of over 3.3 million Indians living in the UAE. “I believe that the size of our community is our strength,” said Dr Aman Puri. “They are the reason we are able to provide assistance to people in every part of the UAE at all times literally on our 24*7 basis.”

Leaders may die, humanity remains

Speaking exclusively in Hindi, Abdullah Lashkari Mohammad, General Coordinator of the Permanent Committee for Labour Affairs in Dubai, remembered Indian leader Mahatma Gandhi and UAE’s founding father His Highness Sheikh Zayed bin Sultan Al Nahyan in his speech.

“Someone asked Sheikh Zayed, you have a small country, and so many people are migrating here,” he said. “He said, the land we have is God’s. The money we have is God’s. The people are also God’s. So no matter how many people come, we will welcome them with open arms. This is what our leader taught us. Our leader is no more but his humanity remains and that is what we express towards the people who come here.”

PBSK Move

The Pravasi Bharatiya Sahayata Kendra (PBSK), a welfare initiative of Government of India to provide support to expatriates in need, was also moved to the Indian Consulate in November 2020 from its previous location in JLT. According to consulate officials, the move has helped address expat grievances quickly.

“It has been much easier whenever any worker or anyone with any issue comes in, it is very easy to get firsthand suggestions from PBSK,” said Thadu Mamu. “And in case it is not something that can be solved by PBSK, the matter can be quickly escalated to the Consulate. This has been a great achievement for us.”