Over 200 volunteers participate in Give & Gain Day 2011, organised by Dubai Chamber's initiative ENGAGE Dubai on June 23, which benefited over 100 children from various community welfare centres
Dubai, UAE: The Dubai Chamber of Commerce and Industry's ENGAGE Dubai initiative, set up by its Centre for Responsible Business, spearheaded the Give & Gain Day Dubai on June 23. The largest and most prestigious employee volunteering programme in Dubai joined thousands of global employees to lend a helping hand in promoting employability, which is the theme of this year's programme managed globally by Business in the Community (BITC) UK.
More than 200 volunteers from businesses across Dubai swapped their usual work day to make a difference to the communities they live and work in. They actively engaged in promoting employability in the country through a series of seminars, presentations and roundtable discussions held at schools, universities, local charities and community groups.
Volunteers offered tips on building skills through their presentations on employment possibilities, recruitment awareness, building the right CV, and the importance of IT skills. They also organised behind the scene tours and educational trips, which involved a detailed walk through of the facilities of community partners.
As well as Dubai Chamber staff, companies which took part in the volunteering event included Mashreq bank, TNT, QBG, ABB, First Select, Al Ghurair and Dubai Aluminium Company Limited (DUBAL).
The Give & Gain Day voluntary programme benefitted 114 children from the Community Development Authority - Government of Dubai - Elkayt employment programme for people with disabilities, Al Noor Centre for Children with Special Needs, Manzil Centre for Challenged Individual and Sharjah Social Empowerment Foundation.
Dr Belaid Rettab, Senior Director, Economic Research and Sustainable Business Development Sector, Dubai Chamber, said: "This year's theme of employability involved supporting communities in greatest need, including those furthest from the labour market, such as disadvantaged staff, out of school youth, graduates and undergraduates without proper job skills, orphans and the mentally and physically disabled. It was indeed a very rewarding experience.
"It was good to see a large number of local companies' employees volunteer their expertise and work hours to make the Give & Gain Day such a huge success in Dubai as the initiative helped prepare people with disabilities to acquire skills and relevant training to enter the employment market. It also contributed in spreading the message of corporate social responsibility among businesses," he added.
Dr. Rettab further stated that volunteering programmes, like ENGAGE Dubai, have a positive and long lasting impact on companies. They not only help enhance the skills of staff but also increase their motivation and in turn reward their companies with increased loyalty and employee satisfaction. On their part, the participating companies reap the rewards of a more energised, more focused and more positive workforce.
Set up in November 2008 by the Centre for Responsible Business, ENGAGE Dubai is an international programme, which brings together businesses and community organisations around in Dubai to increase the quality and amount of employee community engagement in their local communities. Originally, the ENGAGE programme has been established since 2002 in London by the Business in the Community (BITC) organisation and is operating in other major cities such as Paris, Frankfurt, Istanbul, and Hong Kong.
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Established in 1965, the Dubai Chamber of Commerce and Industry is a non-profit public entity, whose mission is to represent, support and protect the interests of the business community in Dubai by creating a favorable business environment, supporting the development of business, and by promoting Dubai as an international business hub.
The Centre for Responsible Business, which was formed in 2004, is the longest standing centre promoting business responsibility in the UAE. The Centre not only assists Dubai Chamber members to apply responsible business practices that enhance performance and competitiveness but also offers a variety of educational, professional training and consulting services that are designed to build individual companies' capacity to implement broad CSR programs including business ethics, sustainability reporting and corporate governance.
© Press Release 2011
