ABU DHABI // Jobs in the local hospitality sector have traditionally been dominated by foreign workers, whether from India or Australia, and tourists are unlikely to find an Emirati at the check-in desk. But Abu Dhabi's largest hotel operator hopes to change that. This month, seven Emirati students took part in an internship programme at hotels across the capital, organised by the Abu Dhabi National Hotels group, which owns a number of hotels in Abu Dhabi, including the Sheraton and Le Meridien.
Like every other industry in the country, hotels are working to Emiratise their workforces in line with government directives. According to Ahmed Lasheen, the director of human resources at the Abu Dhabi National Hotels group, only about three or four Emiratis are employed across all the group's 16 establishments. Numbers are higher in the head office, where some 20 Emiratis out of close to 200 hold senior management positions.
"I think the whole country is trying to attract Emiratis to work in different industries," Mr Lasheen said. "Who would fit into the hospitality industry better than the Emiratis themselves?" But Mr Lasheen concedes there are barriers to getting locals into the service industry - including salaries, benefits and a host of cultural issues. "The hotel industry was not really attractive to the locals," he said. "The challenges would be families not being happy that their children are working in hotels. And also, they don't really teach the hospitality industry in any of the schools and colleges.
"We are trying also to improve our packages," he said. "This is the future ... We want to have local general managers working in hotels." Speaking at the commencement ceremony for the new internship programme yesterday, one of the students, Mooza al Zaabi, 19, recounted her experience working in the kitchen of the Sheraton Abu Dhabi. She washed dishes and prepared salads there, tasks she never does at home.
"After a few years I think you will see more locals in hotels," Ms al Zaabi said, adding that she does not feel above the work. "I think it is good because this is our country. We must do everything."
klewis@thenational.ae
