Help for Emirati graduates

UK university says it will introduce a pilot of a programme dedicated to developing students' skills to help find jobs.

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A UK university says the time is right to bring its graduate employment programme to the UAE in a bid to boost Emiratisation.

Liverpool John Moores University's World of Work programme, which has been running for five years, is dedicated to developing students' skills to help find jobs.

The university's Terry Dray, who was in Abu Dhabi yesterday to conduct a workshop in collaboration with the British Council, said he hopes to introduce a pilot of the programme to local education institutes and companies.

"The UAE authorities and government want more employable graduates, so this programme is very relevant here; It's bang on," he said.

The programme was designed in collaboration with about 300 partner companies in various sectors, to make the curriculum specifically matched to the labour market.

The percentage of graduate unemployment from the institute was about 9 per cent last year, compared with almost 20 per cent overall in the UK, said Mr Dray.

David Kelly, the manager of student careers at Zayed University's Dubai campus, said the problem for many Emirati students is they have "misconceptions of the private sector and what work means".

"They have not had part-time jobs while in school, so their understanding of the world of work is very fresh and new," he said,