• The Minister of Tolerance and Coexistence emphasizes that bolstering and enabling the youth of the nation stands as a paramount national priority.
  • The event, taking place in Abu Dhabi, features numerous pavilions from ministries, institutions, and the private sector.
  • It places a strong emphasis on the Emiratisation and employment program, along with hosting motivational sessions tailored to meet the aspirations of Emirati youth, contributing to the realization of the country's vision for enhancing self-reliance in human resources.
  • The event taps young talent to accelerate the UAE’s ambitious Emiratisation goals.
  • The remarkable event represents the pinnacle of the UAE's Emiratisation program and serves as a prominent career fair, making it a popular draw among young Emiratis.
  • Tawdheef x Zaheb boasts a diverse range of inspiring and educational sessions that are thoughtfully tailored to align with the needs of the nation's emerging talents.

Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates:  His Excellency Sheikh Nahayan Mabarak Al Nahyan, a Cabinet Member and the Minister of Tolerance and Coexistence, officially opened the 2023 edition of the Tawdheef x Zaheb Exhibition. This premier Emiratisation program and career fair took place at the Abu Dhabi National Exhibition Center (ADNEC) and was attended by a significant number of leaders from both government and private institutions.

His Excellency Sheikh Nahayan Mabarak Al Nahyan emphasized that a crucial priority for our wise leadership, led by His Highness Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, the President of the U.A.E. (may God protect him), is the commitment to empowering the sons and daughters of the Emirates. He highlighted that the directives of His Highness (may God protect him) underscore the provision of comprehensive support for the youth of the Emirates, offering every conceivable opportunity for their training and empowerment to prepare them for future leadership roles across diverse fields. Sheikh Nahayan underlined that the Tawdheef x Zaheb Exhibition serves as an excellent platform facilitating the convergence of government and private institutions with Emirati youth seeking employment in various domains. He extended his best wishes for success to all involved.

The Tawdheef x Zaheb Exhibition stands out as a pivotal employment-focused event that successfully draws Emirati youth, enjoying the generous support of His Excellency Sheikh Nahayan Mabarak Al Nahyan. The UAE government has placed significant emphasis on expanding job prospects for Emirati youth in both public and private sectors, and this exhibition reflects a key initiative in that direction.

The positive response to Tawdheef x Zaheb from both job seekers and prospective employers alike over the years is further confirmation of the UAE government’s visionary polices to promote greater Emiratisation. Of late, the government has been particularly keen on boosting Emiratisation beyond the public sector, mandating that a minimum of 75,000 Emirati nationals are employed in the private sector by 2026. This move by the Ministry of Human Resources and Emiratisation (MoHRE) is intended to double the number of 79,000 Emiratis presently employed in the private sector, itself constituting a 57 percent increase over the 2022 figures, which showed that 50,228 UAE nationals were employed in the private sector.

Explaining the larger significance of the event, Fadi Harb, Event Manager of Informa Middle East, the organiser of Tawdheef x Zaheb, said, “The increase in Emirati private sector employees from 2022 to 2023 amounts to an all-time record, reflecting the highest-ever rate of Emiratisation recorded in the UAE private sector. Given this, the recent move by the UAE’s visionary leadership to further increase these numbers, backed by financial penalties for non-compliant employers, reinforces their absolute commitment to its Emiratisation goals, beyond everyone’s expectations. Tawdheef x Zaheb has been privileged to have contributed to this all-important cause with the patronage of the national leadership and various ministries, and look forward to the rich dividends it will yield in the coming years as a new generation of ambitious and highly informed Emirati youth take charge of affairs.”   

Elaborating on what Tawdheef x Zaheb has in store for Emirati youth, Harb said, “We have a singular goal: to empower and enable Emirati youth to find the career opportunities that match their talents and aspirations, and thereby also meet the national objective of greater self-reliance in human resources. To make this happen, we have organised a host of carefully designed sessions tailor-made for Emirati youth, wherein visiting students can meet and interact with senior professionals, business leaders, HR executives and government officials, and thereby showcase their abilities, discover the latest job market trends, and access the tools, skills and insights they need for career success, both in the public and private sectors.”

Tawdheef x Zaheb has seen growing participation from marquee names, both governmental and corporate, in the UAE and worldwide. Some of the world-class companies present this year include the Abu Dhabi National Oil Company (ADNOC), Central Bank of the UAE, HQ Armed Forces, Abu Dhabi Police, Al Ain University, Etisalat, the UAE Ministry of Interior, Abu Dhabi Commercial Bank (ADCB), Nestle, PricewaterhouseCoopers (PwC), Schlumberger, PepsiCo, Siemens Energy, and Schneider Electric, among others.

Commenting on PwC’s participation, Khaled Bin Braik, Consulting Partner and Emiratisation Programme Leader, PwC Middle East, said: “We’re thrilled to be at Tawdheef x Zaheb as it provides us with an empowering platform to meet determined and qualified Emirati talent. We understand how challenging it can be to start fulfilling careers. Hence, we established our nationalisation programme, ‘Watani’, with the ambition to develop the nation's next generation of leaders. Today, we’re proud to have over 1,200 GCC nationals, with 160+ Emiratis, working across our 14 offices in the GCC. To date we have trained over 6,000 Emiratis through our programmes and our plan is to continue to invest significantly in the national upskilling agenda.”

Expressing his appreciation for the UAE government’s far-sighted Emiratisation policies, he further added, “The UAE is investing in supporting and enabling national talent to self-discover and unlock their potential. At PwC Middle East, we work to reinforce our commitment towards the UAE through participating in local and global employment fairs as a key enabler in achieving our purpose of becoming the private sector employer of choice for nationals and GCC talent.”

With technological advancements transforming the global economy, and the UAE government accelerating its Emiratisation plans in a carefully calibrated move, a whole range of new opportunities are opening up before Emirati youth. Tawdheef x Zaheb will ensure that the nation’s youth are uniquely positioned to take advantage of these unprecedented opportunities, in line with the visionary goals of the leadership for a prosperous and productive future for the UAE.                                 

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 About Tawdheef x Zaheb

In line with the UAE's Vision 2021, Tawdheef x Zaheb is committed to supporting the career development of Emiratis and boosting their numbers in the workforce. We encourage public and private companies in the UAE to take advantage of the resources available at Tawdheef x Zaheb to further develop their Emiratisation plans.

Contact: lina@yondandbeyond.com

FMI: https://informaconnect.com/tawdheef/