Combating coronavirus: Recruitment firms in UAE offer to up-skill local talent for free

Dubai - This comes after some people face prospects of redundancy or have been handed the pink slip already.

Many recruitment agencies in the UAE are providing free courses to support the upskilling of local talent affected by Covid-19.
This comes after some people face prospects of redundancy or have been handed the pink slip already. They are now utilising their current time to develop new skill sets.
Aiding the initiative, several professionals are voluntarily spending some of their time to provide training sessions for recruitment companies as a way to support the job hunters.
Professionals devote free time
Aws Ismail, general manager of Marc Ellis, UAE, said: "The response has been overwhelming. Over 40 professionals/coaches expressed willingness to give time to provide training sessions around their specific domains, from leadership, management, business development and marketing & human resources, to more specific courses around some of the latest technologies including data analytics, robotic process automation, artificial intelligence, blockchain, web development and graphic design.
"We are offering a platform for professionals and trainers from various fields to provide live interactive training sessions for anyone seeking to upskill themselves. Upon completion of the course, we are providing 'Certificates of Completion' from our training academy which the attendees can add to their resume and increase their opportunity of attracting employers."
Courses in different languages
Helping individuals navigate the challenging economic environment, Linkedln, in an email, shared their 34 free online courses launched on Tuesday.
Many of their wider range of courses offered earlier are available in seven different languages to help maximum number of people.
These include courses under different broad categories, including business in leadership, software and tools, human resources, sales, education, animation, motion graphics and visualization to name a few.
Coming to the forefront with similar solutions, many head hunters are also proposing programmes like online interview skills and career planning once the pandemic is over.
Jaya Bhatia, advisor, coach and founder of HRHubGlobal.com and Jobhuntglobal.com said: "The three most affected industries due to covid-19 are travel, hospitality and retail. Our experts conduct online group coaching sessions to prepare redundant staff in getting back to the job market. This includes, career change as their current industry will not have requirements. So, we do skills' assessment and help them in finding the most suitable industry with a higher probability to get jobs."
What beneficiaries feel
Jawed Mohammad Akhtar who is a mechanical engineer by profession worked at a company in the UAE for 10 years. Initially, after losing his job he didn't know what to do with his free time. But soon, he realised it was important to utilise the extra time effectively.
"I was looking for a job. But simultaneously, I started searching for online courses. I realised retooling myself in today's market is imperative. So, I joined a free programme on Microsoft Word and Excel. MS Excel would help me to make business contracts more professionally, which is often required in my field of work. So far, I just had a basic understanding of things. But added trainings are often an organisational requirement, so I thought it may help me in my jobs in future," he said.
Ajay Prakash, an advertising and PR professional, has attended a programme on web development. Taking advantage of his spare time, he feels these courses offering varying levels of expertise has been keeping him productively occupied.
"If you choose a good course, it can help you prepare for a specific career or learn a particular skill. Web optimisation is what I enrolled for but digital marketing courses is what I am ultimately looking to do. Some courses are basic level, but the advanced ones can really help in taking an individual to the next level of career."
Lawrence Jerome Braganza, who had been an admin professional in the UAE for the past 13 years, also signed up to learn about the diverse components of the MS office application.
He said: "I happened to chance upon these free courses, while looking for a job. That propelled me to think that I should upskill myself rather than just sitting around feeling worried about not having a job. Once you upgrade your skills, you tend to have a more optimistic outlook towards things."
nandini@khaleejtimes.com