The National Bank of Abu Dhabi (NBAD), the Number One Bank in the UAE, recruited 442 UAE nationals in 2009 increasing the number of UAE nationals working for the bank to 1046 staff, which constitutes 36% of the Bank’s total workforce in the UAE compared with 30% by end of 2008. Emiratisation at senior management level reached 50%.
NBAD has been recognized in the UAE, as a leader in its efforts in the contribution to the Emiratisation initiatives of the UAE Government. We have been awarded by EIBFS the HRG award in February 2009 and The Abu Dhabi Tawteen Council’s Emiratiszation Award in June 2009.
“Bearing in mind the tough conditions faced by all financial institutions in 2009, this is a remarkable achievement. We believe it is a another confirmation of our leading position as an employer of choice in the UAE by running successful recruitment and internship programmes targeting talented UAE graduates,” said Mr. Ehab Anis Hassan, NBAD’s Group Chief Human Resources Officer.
“Our Emiratization efforts are based on long term plans to train, recruit, and develop the qualified UAE nationals to become leading professionals in the banking and financial industry, hence, contribute to the welfare and development of the country.”
NBAD has avoided taking painful decisions including headcount reductions, non payment of bonuses, and cuts in salaries as some of our local and international competitors have done to meet challenges posed by world economic turmoil.
As part of its drive to attract, retain, and continuously develop the skills of UAE nationals, NBAD will participate in Abu Dhabi Recruitment Show- Tawdheef 2010 to be held in Abu Dhabi National Exhibition Centre (ADNEC) from February 2 to 4.
Tawdheef 2010, organised by Al Hader Exhibitions & Conferences, focuses on recruitment and Emiratisation. The prestigious career fair provides an excellent opportunity for companies to exhibit the available vacancies and work opportunities and to help job seekers find their dream jobs. The exhibitors include governmental and quasi-governmental agencies; banking, construction, education and trading industries and other companies interested in hiring and outsourcing.
“Last year, NBAD officially launched its state-of-the-art Academy Centre to deliver the professional training programmes in banking and finance across the region. To meet this objective, NBAD Academy has forged strategic partnerships with leading international institutions and educational establishments to deliver world class curriculum. The establishment of NBAD Academy, which is on par with the international standards, will help to accomplish the goal of making UAE a hub of banking excellence," Mr. Hassan said.
Investing in career development will ultimately support the achievement of our business strategies through staff commitment and engagement, increased retention rates, and the enhancement of our intellectual assets. The Academy’s curriculum aims to support the achievement of business goals.
“Since Emiratisation is one of our primary objectives, NBAD’s Academy has a number of learning initiatives for UAE nationals including AFAQ management trainee programme to recruit and develop UAE nationals High Diploma and graduates. The programme targets fresh university graduates to prepare them for management and executive positions,” said Ms. Ruwaida Saeed Shahbal, Head of Recruitment & Operations at NBAD’s Human Resources Group.
“AFAQ, which means horizons in Arabic, is the first-of-its-kind in-house training programme where we rotate the management trainees through both classroom and on-the-job training, and the opportunity to achieve an internationally-recognized professional diploma in banking and finance. We are on track to have 75 AFAQ recruits by the end of the year.”
Ms Shahbal continues: “Continuous learning and development is one of the core values of NBAD’s corporate culture and our competitive advantage, since it enables the staff to contribute effectively to developing innovative, efficient and secure products and services to allow our customers to enjoy the most convenient banking experience. Pursuing this approach has confirmed our leading position as employer of choice and made NBAD an award winning leader in the UAE and the Middle East financial services industry.”
