Serco Middle East's support towards Emiratization evident in 210 UAE Nationals working at its Dubai Metro Team

Latest milestone aligns with UAE Government’s Emiratization policy under National Agenda

9 October 2019 – Serco Middle East (Serco ME) has announced that the company surpassed another milestone in August 2019 as part of its Dubai Metro contract with the number of UAE nationals working for the Dubai Metro Team increasing to 210. Emirati’s now occupy 40 different roles across the majority of departments and functions and 13 per cent comprise the organisation’s Dubai Metro workforce following the latest recruitment drive.

Serco ME have established numerous career development opportunities at all levels in recent years through the introduction of different programs; demonstrating its commitment to support the UAE Government’s overarching Emiratization policy in line with the UAE Vision 2021, which has set a clear roadmap for the country’s transition to a knowledge-based economy. This latest announcement is the result of five years’ worth of hard work from the Business and HR team; who have been working towards achieving this milestone. Additionally, females comprise 42 per cent of the company’s national workforce, with an average service length of 3.4 years and 25 per cent having completed more than five years with Dubai Metro.

Phil Malem, CEO, Serco ME, said: “Serco ME aims to ensure that we build and sustain a brand that stands out to UAE Nationals as being an ‘employer of choice’. This entails not only a thorough hiring process, but also adequate training, promotion opportunities, and retaining Emirati personnel with Dubai Metro. Our scope of operations is aligned with the vision of the RTA and the UAE Government, and we look forward to realising our shared ambitions in the coming years.”

Alex Rentier, Managing Director of Dubai Metro and Tram, Serco ME, added: “The Dubai Metro is a key component of the emirate and we are fully committed to transferring rail knowledge to the local workforce, with the ultimate aim being that the railway is run entirely by Emiratis. We have made significant progress in recent years and this is evident through the introduction of development initiatives including Al Masar, Fursati, Qudrati and Muwazana. Looking ahead, we are excited about the potential of the up and coming generations of UAE Nationals and relish the opportunity to equip them with the skillsets and tools they require to achieve their professional ambitions and contribute to a sustainable future.”

Mansoor Al Falasi, Director of RTA’s Human Resources and Development praised the tireless efforts that Serco exerts to make ends meet in regard to the Emiratisation and employ UAE citizens in different roles and positions. The company has always been striving to empower UAE nationals and give them great opportunities to grow in this vital field.

“We, at RTA, are always committed to Emiratisation goals as it is aligned with the UAE Government Vision of building a competitive knowledge based economy, which is an integral part of the National Agenda that is in line with the UAE Vision 2021. RTA accordingly aims to achieve this by unlocking the potential of UAE national talents and enabling them to be a driving force of the UAE's economic development,” said Al Falasi.

“Emiratisation tops all the priorities of the UAE Government now with the serious actions have recently been taken on the way the authorities have been handling the issue and the government is precisely monitoring the process. It is committed to not only providing job opportunities for UAE citizens, but also engaging them in advanced training courses and programmes to empower them to acquire new skills, knowledge, capability to take on challenges in their careers and qualify them to be leaders for the interest of the entire UAE in future,” he added.

Some of Serco ME’s most prominent initiatives include the Al Masar Program, which was launched in 2017 to target high potential National talent at supervisory level, accelerate their development and create a network of future leaders; and Fursati, which seeks to provide work placement opportunities within the organisation to students. Serco plans to deploy the Al Masar Program and other National development initiatives in KSA in the coming years, while the Qudrati and Muwazana Programs target graduates and working mothers respectively.