This multi-national manufacturing company is owned by a major regional sovereign wealth fund. In the wake of its acquisition, the company had ambitions to develop a truly global business from a base in Abu Dhabi. It was estimated that this would generate the need for more than 5,000 new staff over the following five years.
THE CHALLENGE
The first stage of the development plan called for the establishment of a new team in the UAE of around 80 personnel, and the company had expressed a very strong preference that it should mainly be constituted of Emirati citizens. However, the company’s business sector was new to the Middle East and North Africa region, which meant that there was no relevant local talent pool to draw from. Cielo was called in to solve the problem.
THE SOLUTION
Cielo quickly put together a dedicated delivery team. After initial research, the delivery team and the client agreed on a two-pronged strategy: an international work program whereby degree-educated Emiratis would work overseas to gain the requisite technical and managerial experience before returning to the company in the UAE, and a local retraining project also aimed at non-graduates to provide an immediate local workforce.
The team then worked with schools, universities, government bodies and through social media to raise awareness of the industry, the company and the opportunities on offer. Cielo also conducted a targeted mapping and search campaign to identify and approach relevant passive talent in the UAE and carried out all first interviews face-to-face.
THE RESULTS
Nearly 90 Emiratis have been hired within the initial six month phase, while average cost-per-hire has been kept to a minimum, and the client has become a recognized employer of choice in the UAE.
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