Al-Futtaim Group provided participants with an overview of the industry, tools to enhance their skills, and offered them an opportunity to explore potential careers within the group’s divisions

Dubai, UAE: Al-Futtaim Group, the leading employer of choice for Emiratis in the private sector, and Dubai College of Tourism (DCT), part of Dubai’s Department of Economy and Tourism hosted a workshop for job seekers, students, and graduates in line with the group’s commitment to the UAE’s Emiratisation vision. Under DCT’s nationalisation initiative, a pilot event providing career guidance was held on Retail Awareness Day.

The workshop was based on the Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) that Al-Futtaim Group had earlier signed with DCT to further enhance cooperation between the two entities, specifically in training and providing employment to Emiratis in the hospitality and retail sectors.

Through the Retail Awareness Day workshop held under the motto ‘Here You Can’, Al-Futtaim Group provided participants with an overview of the industry, and tools to enhance their skills, as well as offering them an opportunity to explore potential job openings at Al-Futtaim. By creating a platform for networking and knowledge transfer, the group seeks to encourage Emiratis to pursue careers in the retail and hospitality sectors, as part of Al-Futtaim Group’s Emiratisation initiatives, and in support of the UAE’s great strides towards building a competitive knowledge economy.

Speaking about the Retail Awareness Day workshop, Hesham Ikhwan, HR Director, Al-Futtaim Retail, said: “We are committed to helping Emiratis advance their careers as part of our long-term strategy at Al-Futtaim Group. Providing training to UAE nationals within our workforce, we also extend the same opportunity to local talent with an interest in joining our group, with the goal of continuing to play an active role in reshaping the future of our nation’s youth.”

Mariam Al Maeeni, Director of Industry Nationalisation at Dubai College of Tourism, said: “We are delighted to have supported this initiative of Al-Futtaim Group to raise further awareness on career opportunities for UAE nationals, as part of our continuing efforts to attract and prepare talented Emiratis for gainful employment in key sectors that support sustainable growth across the economy and tourism. It is also a reflection of the strong spirit of collaboration between the government and the private sector in Dubai that will further help us achieve the goals of our industry nationalisation drive.  The strong support extended by Al-Futtaim Group highlights the role of the retail sector in the implementation of Dubai’s tourism strategy designed to make it the world’s most sought-after destination and the best city in the world to live in and work.” 

Kicking off with a meet and greet, the event opened with introductions and icebreakers where attendees engaged in one-to-one discussions. Participants then took part in a retail orientation, which was followed by success stories from local talent. The workshop also comprised store visits to leading retailers Marks & Spencer and IKEA, in addition to real-life customer experience role-play simulations.

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About Al-Futtaim Group
Established in the 1930s as a trading business, Al-Futtaim today is one of the most diversified and progressive, privately held regional businesses headquartered in Dubai, United Arab Emirates.

Structured into five operating divisions; automotive, financial services, real estate, retail, and health; employing more than 35,000 employees across more than 20 countries in the Middle East, Asia and Africa, we partner with over 200 of the world's most admired and innovative brands.

Al-Futtaim’s entrepreneurship and relentless customer focus enables the organisation to continue to grow and expand; responding to the changing needs of our customers within the societies in which we operate.

By upholding our values of respect, excellence, collaboration, integrity; Al-Futtaim continues to enrich the lives and aspirations of our customers each and every day. For more information visit: www.alfuttaim.com

About Dubai College of Tourism (DCT)

DCT runs the first-of-its-kind multi-disciplinary educational platform in the region. The College provides certificate and diploma courses in tourism, hospitality, retail business, events and culinary arts through the TVET accreditation framework. DCT aims to be recognised as the premier vocational institution in the region with its courses bridging the gap between in-house training and a full bachelor’s degree, ensuring a steady stream of highly trained tourism professionals for the city. DCT manages Medyaf the Industry Nationalisation initiative that aims to attract and train Emiratis to work in Dubai’s tourism industry. The College is also responsible for delivering fundamental programmes specifically designed for those working within the tourism industry, such as ‘Dubai Way’ (for tourist-facing staff in Dubai) and ‘Dubai Expert’ (an interactive online training tool for international travel agents).