As noted on the adjacent page of this issue of Capital Letter, the progress being made in the Tawteen Learning and Leadership Programme was celebrated at a British Embassy reception co-hosted by British Ambassador Edward Oakden and International Power CEO Philip Cox on 23 October, in the presence of HRH The Duke of York and leading British and Emirati business representatives.

The Tawteen Programme was launched by the Emirates Foundation – a leading UAE philanthropic organisation – at a two day Symposium in Abu Dhabi in February this year Tawteen – meaning “localisation” in Arabic – is the UAE part of a wider Learning and Leadership Programme for the Middle East and North Africa, (the MENA area), jointly developed by Compass Rose and the UK’s Middle East Association (MEA).

The aim of the programme is to help unlock local talent through self-development and self-motivation, thereby equipping young Emiratis with the right workplace skills to flourishinthefast-growing UAE private sector.

The programme is a private sector driven initiative with the close involvement of government, academia and civil society which, the Director General of the Middle East Association, Michael Thomas, has noted, “originated from a realisation that many private sector employers are keen to employ a greater proportion of UAE nationals, but find it difficult to locate and retain sufficiently qualified or motivated candidates.”

At the February Symposium, some 200 delegates from the UAE and across the region joined 40 students from the UAE in a lively debate on social and cultural barriers to self-development. Participants had a strong sense that there was a lack of useful dialogue between learning institutions delivering new graduates, and the needs of private sector employers. They also felt that negative social perceptions to vocational professions needed to be challenged. They came up with a total of 13 specific project proposals to enhance access to skills development, particularly by women and young Emiratis.

Following further examination of the proposals, eight projects were then subjected to feasibility study. These were then formally launched on 23rd October at a Tawteen Progress Event hosted by the Emirates Foundation and attended by the founding private sector participants, or ‘project champions’, who have given so much support to the programme. These are BP, DLA Piper, Etihad Airways, International Power and Shell, who have recently been joined by Rolls Royce and Gems Education. The British Council, Jumeirah International and Microsoft have also been closely involved in moving the projects forward as Champions.

The eight projects cover career guidance counselling; youth leadership development; industry and academic summer schools; career resource centres; internships in the private sector; empowering women in the workplace; entrepreneurship and innovation; and vocational training awareness.

Each project has been the subject of detailed research over the past few months. The concepts involved have been adapted from successful regional models and international models. Funded projects will now be tested at the local level followed by implementation at the national level. The programme aims to deliver quick but sustainable wins, and there is no intention to “reinvent the wheel”.

The Managing Director of the Emirates Foundation, Ahmed Al Sayegh, has emphasised that “The Tawteen projects are not job creation schemes in themselves. However, they will directly assist Emiratis in overcoming the social and cultural obstacles that hinder personal development, while opening the door to thousands of employment opportunities in the UAE private sector.”

Al Sayegh added that “the success of the Tawteen pilot projects is highly important to the UAE” and has expressed a desire to see further British involvement.

Funds are still required to help incubate the projects through the pilot stage, as is commitment of time and resources to make the projects a reality. The Emirates Foundation project management team would be glad to discuss potential areas in more detail, particularly any project specific contributions by BBG members (such as work and internship placements, and provision of industry specific motivational speakers).

Those interested in contributing to this important programme should contact Laura Heseltine, UAE Tawteen Project Manager (lheseltine@emiratesfoundation.ae).

Susan Sandouka,
Managing Director of Compass Rose (susan@compassrose.uk.com) and Chris Innes-Hopkins, MEA Director of Trade & Government Relations (chris@the-mea.co.uk) would also be glad to provide answer to any enquiries in the UK.