Young Emiratis baking a success story

Baking is not a typical career choice for young Emiratis, but a nationwide programme that prepares high-school students for job placements in the retail sector showed they have an appetite for success in the industry.

The Yes to Work programme is part of the Absher Initiative, which aims to introduce Emiratis in the 15-21 age group to an actual working environment.

Shaikh Zayed Bin Sultan Al Nahyan, the UAE’s founding father, had said: “It is my duty as the leader of the young people of this country to encourage them to work and exert themselves to raise their own standards and to be of service to the country. The individual who is healthy and of a sound mind and body but who does not work commits a crime against himself and society.”

In an Abu Dhabi bakery, a group of young Emirati men and women are hard at work proving that they hold on to the values espoused by Shaikh Zayed.

As they learn to bake fresh bread, they also seem to be enjoying the fruits of honest work, while setting an example for their fellow youth

Ahmad Mohammad Al Mazroui, 16, studies mechanical and electric engineering at Abu Dhabi Vocational Education and Training Institute, but he trains as a baker.

“Shaikh Zayed and my parents had always preached the virtues of hard work, now I hold on to these values and I’m working in a bakery. The job of a baker and many other jobs may often be seen as ‘thankless’ jobs, or ones that are ‘less’. But, for me, there is honour in every job,” Al Mazroui said as he baked saj — a flat round bread baked on a convex metal griddle.

Asked about his message to his fellow young Emiratis, Al Mazroui proudly said even the most basic job is important and there is honour even in the most menial of tasks.

Al Mazroui can now bake a variety of bread, including the baguette, saj and bread rolls.

At one point, Al Mazroui said, he couldn’t even boil an egg — so he has come a long way. The turning point came when he came to know about the Yes to Work initiative and was inspired by the French patisseries. He fell in love with baking, and he wished to specialise in elaborate, show-stopping decorations and have his own business in baking industry.

Al Mazroui’s brother Hamad, 16, who studies oil engineering at Adnoc Technical Institute, happened to be buying a Saj cheese sandwich from his brother. Hamad agreed there is an honour in every job, regardless of how menial it is.

“I can happily take up baking as a job. We should bring to work an appreciation that we are playing our part in the whole, and the understanding that our part is important, and equal to any other, no matter our title or job description,” Hamad said as the strongly appealing aroma of baked goods come out of the oven.

Noora Fahd Al Katbi, 16, an 11th grader in Horizon Private School in Abu Dhabi, says work is honour and passion. “I have a passion for baking, which requires a special kind of person. Bakers need to be lovable, their treats filled with the passion they have for creating a moment of happiness with a sweet treat,” Noora said as she baked classic madeleine cookies.

Every day in bakeries across Abu Dhabi, Al Ain and Dubai, scores of young Emirati bakers hand-craft traditional and gourmet breads and cakes.

Esmail Ali Hamdan Al Zaidi, an 11th grader in Khalid Bin Al Waleed Secondary School, said he worked in a bakery for the first time as part of the Yes to Work initiative.

“I will continue training in the baking industry until I become a certified baker recognised by the National Qualification Authority,” Al Zaidi said.

On whether they are inspired by the training to launch their own businesses and bake Emirati traditional breads such as Khameer (a tender round flatbread with golden top), Ragag (a very thin traditional bread) and chebab or local pancake, many of the young Emirati bakers said yes and added that they want to boost local goods.

Jalal Al Khatib, a vocational assessor, said our motivated local bakers graduate with a complete set of valuable skills. “They are attentive to detail and proficient in all phases of the bread-making process, from scaling and mixing to shaping and baking. They are trained to handle dough — firm to soft and sticky to everything in between, including gluten-free, organic and clean label with a number of different properties,” Al Khatib said.

Al Khatib said the vocational assessor develops and delivers outstanding training and assessment activities that engage students, meet their learning objectives and contribute to the programme’s overall performance targets. “They also regularly review their training practice to maximise learner participation, satisfaction and success as they get hands-on experience,” Al Khatib said.

Yes to Work initiative

The Yes to Work initiative that encourages young Emiratis to take up employment, especially in the private sector, is run by the Abu Dhabi Centre for Technical and Vocational Education and Training Institutes.

It aims to reinforce the Emirati youth’s employability and create opportunities for lifelong learning, said Mubarak Saeed Al Shamsi, director-general of the centre.

Part of the Absher Initiative, launched by President His Highness Shaikh Khalifa Bin Zayed Al Nahyan, the work experience campaign teams up with partners across various sectors in Abu Dhabi, Al Ain and Dubai and aims to reach out to tens of thousands of students.

“There is great honour in every job and the initiative promotes the role of young Emiratis to pay back to their nation and wise leadership. It also seeks to instill in them the values of work, responsibility and loyalty to their nation and help them gain professional experiences and skills in the early stages of their life,” said Al Shamsi, also chairman of the initiative’s higher organising committee.

Students start the internship by working for five hours a day with a 30-minute break in a variety of jobs ranging from sales, customer service, stock replenishment, beauty consultants and others.

The initiative is part of the government’s wider Emiratisation drive, which aims to encourage more citizens to join the workforce, especially the private sector

source : gulfnews