Emirates Global Aluminium, the largest industrial company in the United Arab Emirates outside oil and gas, today announced that the company recruited more than 220 UAE Nationals in 2022, including 100 women.
The average age of EGA’s new UAE National recruits was 23 years old. While EGA recruits mid-career experts, the company focuses on attracting and developing young people who are starting their careers as talent for the future.
Some 146 of the 2022 recruits joined EGA’s National Training programmes, which prepare high school leavers for technical positions in the company’s industrial facilities and administration. EGA also recruited 43 graduate trainees during the year.
EGA finished 2022 with an in-focus Emiratisation rate of 42 per cent. When considering the high number of blue-collar positions in heavy industry, EGA has one of the highest Emiratisation rates of any major company.
Almost 1,200 UAE Nationals work at EGA and over 700 of EGA’s Emirati employees are under the age of 35 years old.
EGA’s goal is to create 500 additional opportunities for UAE Nationals by 2026, taking the company to 45 per cent in-focus Emiratisation.
Abdulnasser Bin Kalban, Chief Executive Officer of Emirates Global Aluminium, said: “In line with the economic agenda for the next decade of the UAE’s wise leadership, we will continue focusing on Emiratisation to secure the strong talent we need for our future and to create opportunity for young UAE Nationals in our country’s industrial sector. We are particularly focused on recruiting and developing women, as diverse organisations perform better. National talent development has been a priority at EGA for more than 40 years, during which we have made a substantial contribution to the UAE’s Emiratisation goals.”
Iman Al Qasim, Executive Vice President of Human Capital at Emirates Global Aluminium, said: “We have a bold aspiration for EGA to be the industrial employer of choice in the countries where we operate by 2030, and a talent-driven organisation. We look forward to the talented young UAE Nationals in our 2022 intake developing their skills in our sector, and playing key roles in the future development of our company.”
More than 5,000 UAE Nationals have graduated from EGA’s National Training Programmes for high school leavers since they were first established in 1982. The programmes last between six and 36 months depending on specialism, and many participants have gone on pursue long and successful careers at EGA with some reaching senior leadership positions.
In 2022, EGA opened National Training programmes for roles in industrial operations to women for the first time, with 16 young UAE National women joining during the year. Most of the places on EGA’s National Training programme for administration roles are taken by women.
EGA cooperates with Abu Dhabi’s Human Resources Authority in the recruitment of young UAE Nationals for some of the company’s National Training programmes.
EGA aims to increase the proportion of women in the UAE to 25 per cent by 2025 and is targeting 15 per cent of all roles at EGA being held by women by 2026.
Some 31 UAE Nationals joined EGA as experienced hires in 2022.
