Al-Futtaim employs 23 Emiratis in the retail division following training and apprenticeship

Al-Futtaim employs 23 Emiratis in the retail division following training and apprenticeship

Emiratis will be part of the group’s retail division .

August 6, 2010 9:37 by Rasha Reslan

Dubai, August 05, 2010: Al-Futtaim today announced the successful completion of a 6-month pilot retail training programme for 23 UAE nationals, who will now be full-fledged employees of one of the country’s largest family owned business houses.

The Al-Futtaim group, which recently was named as employer that inspires trust and confidence among UAE residents in a survey by YouGov Siraj, said the Emiratis will be part of the group’s retail division which includes market-leading brands like IKEA, ACE, Marks & Spencer, Toys “R” Us and Intersport among others.

The young apprentices – 5 men and 18 women – were trained to be in line with the vision of having customer centricity as cornerstone of Al-Futtaim’s march into a new era.

The training programme, lauded by both federal institutions and government, was conducted by the group’s Emiratisation Department at their training room in association with the group’s retail division and the Al-Futtaim Training Centre.

The 23 nationals, 15 from Fujairah and 8 from Dubai, were put through a comprehensive curriculum covering all aspects of retail. The group provided all the trainees from the Northern Emirate with accommodation and transport for the duration of the programme.

The successful completion of the pilot training programme supported by Tanmia, Emirates Nationals Development Programme (ENDP) and the Government of Fujairah, further reiterates the group’s commitment to recruit, train and develop Emiratis to take up responsible positions in the private sector.

Zuhair Al Haj, Senior General Manager – Group Administration and Emiratisation said: “The group is constantly looking at ways to utilise its enormous talent pool to train and develop young UAE nationals. The success of the retail training programme can be attributed to the commitment of the senior management and the invaluable support from federal institutions and the government of Fujairah.

“We are confident the trainees will contribute positively to the future success of the group and be part of the company’s vision to keep customers ahead of everything else. We will continue to monitor their progress and provide them with the right incentives to move up the corporate ladder,” he added.