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The Ministry of Labour has announced plans to train and test 2,500 construction workers prior to their arrival in the UAE, the state news agency reported.
The pilot project aims to develop and document the skills of the workers during their stay on a unified labour qualifications form, according to WAM.
The ministry has developed the project in collaboration with the National Qualifications Authority, the Federal Demographic Council, the Abu Dhabi Quality and Conformity Council (QCC), Zayed University. It will also see several national and international institutions participate.
Saqr Ghobash, Minister of Labour, said the training scheme would help develop the national economy and construction industry as well as “elevate the labourers and empower factors which increase their productivity and help them find decent work opportunities when they return home.”
A sample of 2,500 workers will be randomly recruited from countries like India, Pakistan, and the Philippines, to work for construction companies in the UAE. They will be provided with professional training in their home countries, after which their expertise will be tested prior to arrival according to standards developed by the Abu Dhabi QCC and the National Qualifications Authority.
“Participants involved in the project will also be tested during their stay in the country to document additional gained skills in their new workplace, to facilitate employment within national facilities with trained and qualified manpower, which will positively affect the national labour market and both sides of the production process,” Ghobash added.
The project, which will take about two years to conclude, will see the participation of companies like Arabtec, Al Habtoor, ATI Asco and Ghantoot. It will be implemented in both UAE and Kuwait.