Vision Magazine Online Issue 1

How do you find the best
people to employ?
We look for people with the appropriate knowledge,
skills, abilities and attitudes and we spare no effort
in sourcing them. We use in-house capabilities,
like the UPC career website, as well as referrals
and job fairs. We also advertise for particular roles
in specialist magazines and use head-hunters and
executive search firms to find experienced people.
How does the UPC recruit
young Emirati graduates?
We have formed excellent relationships with local
universities and institutes to source top-notch
graduates.
We invest a lot of time in the selection process and
interviews are only one screening element. We have
a thorough recruitment process, which includes
in-depth evaluation and the use of psychometric
testing to ensure we select the best employees.
How do you help Emiratis
develop their careers?
Recently, the UPC has invested time and efforts
to develop sophisticated personal development
programmes for all UAE Nationals.
The Personal Development Plans, or PDPs as we
call them, carefully assess their current skills,
behaviours and abilities. The PDPs help us to assess
training needs and identify the best way to develop
the careers of our employees through a number of
different methods, such as job training, workshops,
assignments, coaching and mentoring. This also
ensures that our employees’ skills and knowledge
match our business needs.
We’re also willing to throw our graduates in at the
deep end and allow them to swim. For instance,
some recent graduates will be making presentations
to the public at Cityscape Abu Dhabi. Thankfully they
are good swimmers!
And what about your expat
employees?
We don’t forget our expat employees; they are a
vital asset to the UPC. We regularly send them to
seminars, conferences and workshops to improve
and share their knowledge and expertise. We also
send non-Arabic speakers on Arabic language
courses to help them integrate better into Arabic
business circles.
Are Emirati graduates leaving
university and college with the
skills required by the UPC?
Universities and institutions as well as the Abu
Dhabi Education Council (ADEC) are committed to
educating students to ensure they have the skills
and qualifications that businesses need. Emirati
universities are producing excellent graduates in the
fields of architecture, civil engineering, business
management, project management and IT.
However, urban planning, which is a core
competence to the UPC, is a new concept to
our local universities so they do not yet have a
specialised curriculum.
So how are you dealing with lack
of training in urban planning?
We have organised a joint programme with ADEC
to send graduates to American universities to
study urban planning, together with other relevant
subjects such as civil engineering and architecture.
We currently have two scholars in the USA – one in
Michigan State University and the other in Arizona
State University. We plan to send more scholars this
year abroad to countries including the USA, Canada,
UK, New Zealand and Italy.
We’re also speaking to universities in the UAE
about the prospect of developing an urban planning
syllabus.
What do you enjoy most about
your job?
I love HR and take pleasure seeing our Emirati
graduates develop both personally and professionally
within our organisation, and also our non-Nationals
contributing by transferring their vast knowledge
and experience to younger staff. And I especially
enjoy working in a harmonious and efficient
environment where so many nationalities come
together for the greater benefit for them personally
and for the UPC, which will in the end benefit the
Abu Dhabi Emirate. I simply enjoy this team spirit.
The UPC is like a small village
where people share their expertise,
experience and knowledge to help
create a better Abu Dhabi
ISSUE ONE - VISION MAGAZINE 29