First phase of ‘National Training Portal’ programs to be implemented next January

The ‘National Training Portal’ (NTP) work team has announced it will implement 30 training programs in 2020 to qualify the Emiratis registered in the NTP for jobs in targeted sectors. This will be done in three phases, the first to begin in January, the second in April and the third in September next year.

Earlier, the Ministry of Human Resources and Emiratisation (MOHRE) and the Higher Colleges of Technology (HCT) signed a memorandum of co-operation in implementation of the directives of His Highness Sheikh Mansour Bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Presidential Affairs. The memo was aimed at qualifying 18,000 Emiratis through the NTP over the coming 3 years in line with the package of Emiratisation decisions issued recently by the Cabinet.

Dr. Abdullatif Al Shamsi, Director of the HCT, valued the support of His Highness Sheikh Mansour Bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Presidential Affairs, as well as his encouragement of all the efforts exerted to support the preparation of highly qualified Emiratis and enhance their readiness to take up the jobs available in the labor market.

“The co-operation between the HCT and the MOHRE reflects the importance of joint work for qualifying Emiratis through training programs that have been prepared and designed in accordance with the actual jobs needed by the targeted sectors and the skills that the participants in these programs should have,” Al Shamsi said.

Al Shamsi explained that the first phase of the NTP programs would be implemented in January next year when the Emiratis registered in the NTP would join 10 training programs. The number of training programs would be raised to 15 in the second phase scheduled to be implemented in April next year, while extra 15 training programs would be added in the third phase scheduled to be implemented in September 2020, he added.

The NTP offers in the 3 phases miscellaneous specialized training programs and diplomas and other skill-based programs in line with the job requirements. These programs cover such fields as human resources, retail, sales, insurance, real estate, property management, IT, financial and banking services, customer service, public relations, airport services and support services. The NTP also offers technical programs in such areas as aircraft maintenance, electrical and mechanical engineering and oil & gas.

Al Shamsi stated that during 2021 and 2022 other training programs would be designed and implemented in co-ordination with the MOHRE as per the jobs needed by the targeted sectors, adding that these programs should serve the NTP’s objectives of qualifying 18,000 Emiratis for jobs in these sectors.

Meanwhile, Ahmed Al Nasser, Assistant Undersecretary for National Human Resources Development at MOHRE, called on Emirati jobseekers wishing to develop their skills and Emiratis interested in changing their careers to register in the NTP via the website aetraining.ae and follow the required steps. These include inputting their personal data, academic qualification and specialty and years of experience (if any) and subsequently visiting the training portfolios and choosing the portfolio that suits their academic qualifications and job aspirations, he said.

The Emiratis registered in the NTP would be called for verification of their registration data and information and would be later invited to the testing centers at the HTC according to their place of residence all over the UAE, he said. There, they would be assessed through placement tests before they are allowed to join the various training programs in line with the actually, he added.

The participants in a training program would undergo a field training exercise at a company before they would be finally assessed, he said, adding that co-ordination would then be made with this company or other companies operating in the targeted sectors with a view to finding jobs for the trainees.

Those who completed training programs and were offered jobs would be monitored over the first six months to ensure they had undergone high quality training and enhance their skills, if necessary, he said.

Al Nasser stressed the importance of the NTP’s programs for preparing the Emiratis registered in the portal to be specialists, adding that this would enhance their employment opportunities in the jobs offered by the targeted sectors. This is because they would be given priority to attend the job interviews conducted by the recruitment agencies participating in the recruitment open days organized by the MOHRE in collaboration with its partners in these sectors, he said.

Training under these training programs take 3 to 6 months, after which a trainee will be issued a certificated issued by the MOHRE-accredited training centers.