• 42% of in-focus roles at EGA are now held by UAE Nationals
• More than 750 of the almost 1,200 UAE Nationals working at EGA are under 35 years old

United Arab Emirates, 17 January 2021: Emirates Global Aluminium, the largest industrial company in the United Arab Emirates outside oil and gas, today announced that the company finished 2020 with its highest ever rate of Emiratisation.

Some 42 per cent of in-focus roles at EGA are now held by UAE Nationals - exceeding the company’s long-standing goal of Emiratising 40 per cent of these positions by the end of 2020. In-focus roles are all those positions that can feasibly be Emiratised.

Almost 1,200 UAE Nationals now work at EGA, including more than 750 under the age of 35 years old.

When normalised for the high number of blue collar positions in heavy industry, EGA has one of the highest rates of Emiratisation of any major company.

EGA has focussed on national talent development for decades, to drive its business and operational success.

EGA’s Chief Executive Officer, Abdulnasser Bin Kalban, said today: “Our success as a company depends on the skills and commitment of our people. In line with 'UAE Vision 2021' we aim to harness the full potential of the UAE's human capital. As a vital industrial company in the UAE, we are proud of the many talented young people who are inspired to contribute to the development of the nation’s industrial sector and knowledge economy by joining EGA and of those who have dedicated their careers to our progress.”

EGA recruits, develops and empowers the next generation of Emirati innovators through its Graduate Trainee programme, which provides recent university graduates specialising in science, technology, engineering and/or mathematics (STEM) and other fields with 18-months of training to equip them with technical know-how necessary to assume permanent, leading positions within the organisation.

EGA’s Executive Committee includes employees who originally joined as fresh graduates.

EGA has also run National Training programmes to prepare young UAE Nationals for technical roles in its operations. More than 5,000 UAE Nationals have graduated from the programmes since they were first established in 1982. Many have gone on to pursue long and successful careers at EGA, with some reaching the highest levels of leadership in the company.

In further support of UAE Vision 2021, EGA’s recruitment and development processes also prioritise the advancement of women, with females now holding almost 20 per cent of supervisory and management roles at the company.