The informative event illuminates strategies for tackling and integrating youth into the workforce and advancing Emiratisation, featuring speakers from esteemed organizations.
Dubai, United Arab Emirates, June 2024 – YSpot, the unique and forward-thinking AI-powered integrated platform designed to revolutionize connectivity between youth and organizations, successfully hosted a groundbreaking event on May 14, 2024, themed “Future-proofing your workforce to build a sustainable economy ” at the Sheraa Entrepreneurship Center in Sharjah. With a mission to empower youth to develop strong work experience and ethics from an early age, Yspot’s event gathered industry leaders from some of the biggest corporations including Sheera, L’Oréal, Microsoft, GEMS for Life, Nafis and Du Telecommunications who all shared invaluable insights on the advantages and challenges around Emiratisation and future-proofing a company’s workforce through the integration of youth. The event focused on attracting and retaining young talent, highlighting their significance and benefits they bring to the workforce across industries.
The event explored themes such as Emiratisation and the most effective strategies for hiring youth in the K12 space, considering upcoming trends in future employment landscapes. The program began with a welcome address by YSpot founders Deena Habib and Ban Jishi, followed by a keynote speech from Najla Al Midfa, CEO of the Sharjah Entrepreneurship Center (Sheraa). Al Midfa shared valuable insights into the future of the workplace, highlighting the UAE’s youth as the nation’s true wealth.She proudly praised the efforts of YSpot by saying, “Youth employment and Emiratisation are vital for the UAE’s growth. YSpot’s innovative efforts in connecting young talent with employers is driving the future success of our nation. We are proud to support their mission.”
Sanaa Ahmed, Talent Acquisition Director for MENA at the renowned L’Oréal, discussed the challenges of Emiratisation and how the company has effectively overcome them. She emphasized the importance of Emiratisation at L’Oréal and highlighted why Emiratis should consider pursuing careers at L’Oréal. She highlighted that L’Oréal, despite being a 113-year-old company, maintains a start up spirit that is particularly attractive to the youth. Sanaa also elaborated on L’Oréal’s commitment to becoming a global talent house and the best place to work across all markets, highlighting that this ambition is achieved through welcoming Emirati talent throughout L’Oréal Middle East and the L’Oréal group at large. By setting an example for other companies, L’Oréal highlighted how they strategically address the challenges of integrating youth into the workforce by focusing heavily on investing in professional development. They achieve this through comprehensive Learning and Development Programs designed to help employees grow and succeed.
Additionally, while further exploring the significance and impact of Emiratisation, Ahlam Abdullah Al Marzooqi, a member of the Nafis Youth Council, emphasized the objectives of the Nafis program. She underscores that the Nafis program, a federal government initiative, is meticulously crafted to enhance the competitiveness of Emirati human resources, equipping them for positions in the private sector. Through targeted initiatives and strategic interventions, the Nafis program aims to empower Emirati youth, enabling them to make substantial contributions to the nation’s economic growth and prosperity.
Shifting the paradigm from Emiratisation to technology, Jawaher Almaazmi, Account Executive Education at Microsoft, delivered a presentation on the transformative impact of Artificial Intelligence (AI) in education. Almaazmi emphasized the importance and advancements of AI in today’s rapidly evolving environment, highlighting how Microsoft is at the forefront of empowering youth with essential skills through advanced learning tools and accelerators. She shared her insights on how Microsoft’s cloud infrastructure facilitates AI-powered learning experiences, including real-time feedback for students and time saving functionalities for teachers. These tools, integrated in Microsoft 365, aim to develop the foundational and future-ready skills, empowering educators to provide tailored coaching and guidance to students.
The event left a lasting impression on the audience, who were captivated by a motivational session featuring two of the youngest speakers, Adam El Rafey, a 14-year-old university student and change advocate, and Aashna Takhtani, a 15-year-old MC, radio, TV, and podcast presenter. Their engaging “Ability Not Age” fireside chat underscored their remarkable achievements and boundless potential, defying conventional expectations based on their youth.
The event transitioned into an informative panel discussion focused on employment challenges within the K12 space, featuring insights from industry experts including Al Afeefi from du, Matthew Tompkins from GEMS, George Hojeige from Virtuzone, and Reim El Houni from Ti22 Films. This dynamic panel explored various aspects of youth employment, highlighting the initiatives these esteemed organizations are undertaking to support and nurture young professionals. Al Afeefi from du discussed their internship programs and proactive hiring of students straight from school, while George Hojeige, CEO of Virtuzone, emphasized Virtuzone’s youth-centric programs, offering students a comprehensive 360-degree business perspective. Matthew Tompkins, Vice President for GEMS for Life, emphasized the outdated nature of the current education system and advocated for experiential learning, stating, “The best way to learn is by ‘doing.'” He encouraged organizations to welcome more youth, emphasizing their valuable contributions to the workplace. He stated, “At GEMS, we believe in nurturing young talent and creating pathways to meaningful opportunities. By collaborating with initiatives like YSpot, we can bridge gaps and empower the next generation to thrive.” His statement underscores the need for early connections between youth and career opportunities to ensure they are well-prepared for the future job market. Complementing the panel discussion, Omar Tom, Co-founder and CEO of Dukkan Media, offered valuable insights into youth trends and market adoption, explorating the challenges and strengths associated with Gen Z’s integration into the workforce.
Given the resounding success of YSpot’s event in providing HR and talent acquisition professionals with critical insights into youth integration, it’s imperative to highlight the advanced capabilities of their AI-powered integrated platform. As they remain steadfast in their commitment to driving positive change, their platform now offers assessments spanning Worker Type, Entrepreneurial Intent, Personality Traits, Learning Styles, Emotional Intelligence, and Cognitive Abilities. These assessments provide high school students with a deeper understanding of themselves, aiding in Emiratisation efforts by ensuring cultural fits alongside qualifications and skills. Moreover, YSpot offers bespoke services for the first six months of employment, providing unique mentoring and coaching paths for Emiratis during onboarding, thereby ensuring their well-being and success.
