20 UAE Government Organizations Participate in Event to Recruit Emirati Students from among Nearly 900 Talented Graduates
Washington DC-U.S./Abu Dhabi-UAE: 30 November, 2011 – Masdar, Abu Dhabi’s multifaceted renewable energy company, and Masdar Institute of Science and Technology, an independent, research-driven graduate-level university focused on advanced energy and sustainable technologies, today announced its participation in the UAE Student Forum 2011 in Washington that attracted approximately 900 UAE national students from universities across the US.
A total of 20 government organizations from the UAE participated in the event that was hosted under the initiative of His Excellency Yousef Al Otaiba, UAE Ambassador to the US. Titled ‘Today’s Students….Tomorrow’s Leaders’, the forum was held from 24-27 November at Omni Shoreham Hotel in Washington DC. The event aimed to directly and tangibly facilitate the professional growth of the next generation of Emirati decision-makers and ensure that young UAE nationals receive the crucial training they need to gain employment.
The UAE Student Forum 2011 was attended by top government officials from the US and the UAE including His Excellency Omar Al Shamsi, Deputy Chief of Mission at the UAE Embassy, Fredrick Hawkins from the Department of State – Consular Affairs Bureau, Ms. Sharon Snyder and Jim Girardi of the Student and Exchange Visitor Program from the US Department of Homeland Security, as well as Byron K. Fogan, UAE Embassy Counsel.
A Career Center for Emirati students offering tips on choosing a suitable profession was inaugurated at the UAE Student Forum 2011, which also included workshops and a career fair.
The forum offered a platform for Masdar Institute to highlight the Sustainable Emiratization Program that will be launched next year to focus on building and retaining human and organizational capital through a sustainable skill-based program. In addition to showcasing its eight post-graduate programs, scholarship opportunities and the research options available to students who aim to pursue graduate degrees in advanced energy and sustainable technologies, Masdar Institute was also keen to select suitably talented graduates for administrative, academic as well as research and technical positions.
Students were also briefed about the sustainable lifestyle features of the Masdar Institute campus, the elite group of faculty with right qualification, expertise and experience to offer the most enriching academic experience, well-equipped and state-of-the-art laboratories, as well as the range of support services and cultural activities for students.
Masdar also showcased the employment potential in the renewable energy and clean technology sector, one of the fast-growing economic segments worldwide. Students were offered information about the various clean energy projects Masdar is implementing locally in the UAE and internationally through its integrated units – Masdar Power, Masdar Capital, Masdar Carbon and Masdar City.
Dr Sultan Al Jaber, Chief Executive Officer of Masdar, said: “Masdar is mandated to establish Abu Dhabi as a pre-eminent source of renewable energy knowledge, development and implementation, as well as a global benchmark for sustainable development. Through our projects in the UAE and overseas, we have built a sizeable human resource base in renewable energy. Masdar is also proud to point out that some of our Emirati engineers have been seconded to projects that are being implemented in collaboration with our global partners in Europe. We feel privileged to express our gratitude to the country’s leadership for their guidance and support that enable us to contribute to fulfilling the objectives of Abu Dhabi’s Vision 2030 for the progress of the UAE.”
Dr. Fred Moavenzadeh, President, Masdar Institute of Science and Technology, said: “Developing a knowledge-based economy and offering the right enabling environment for academic research that leads to innovations in clean technology remain the prime focus areas for Masdar Institute. The number of government organizations that have participated in the event strongly demonstrates the effectiveness of this forum that brings together academic and corporate leaders to seek talented students for potential employment. As a world-class research-driven institution, we will remain committed to relevant capacity building initiatives that benefit Abu Dhabi and the UAE.”
After the event, Sara Al Muhairi, Acting Human Resources Director at Masdar Institute, and Maha Al Mansouri, Head of Emiratization and Manpower Planning – Human Resources at Masdar, expressed their gratitude to His Excellency Yousef Al Otaiba for his support and cooperation in successfully organizing the forum in Washington.
In her presentation, Sara Al Muhairi informed the audience about the academic programs, scholarship opportunities and the research options available at Masdar Institute. She additionally highlighted the potential career openings that exist for qualified and experienced candidates to become faculty members at the research-driven institution in Abu Dhabi.
Providing an overview of her academically enriching experience as a student at Masdar Institute, Noura Al Dhaheri, a graduate student, encouraged the US-based students among the audience to enroll themselves at the Abu Dhabi institution.
Human resource professionals from the government organizations manning various stalls at the UAE Student Forum 2011 offered adequate information on the Emiratization initiatives and recruitment policies, while networking with individual Emirati students and offering presentations to groups of potential employees.
The UAE national students studying in the US interacted with their career counselors and scholarship sponsors. The event also provided an opportunity for the Emirati students currently studying in the US to interact with officials of the UAE organizations and explore employment opportunities. A question and answer session for students to obtain more academic and career information was also part of the first day’s proceedings.
Stretching the boundaries of future energy, Masdar contributes to the transformation of the UAE’s economic landscape – enabling economic diversification and helping the country’s knowledge-intensive industries to grow.
Masdar Institute is the centerpiece of Masdar City, one of the most sustainable cities in the world. It provides students an unparalleled opportunity in the entire spectrum of research, from theory to applied research to commercialization in a single location. With its best in class amenities for research and development in clean technologies, it aims to help drive economic diversification through human capital and technological innovation.
