Officials during the meeting.

UAE Government, industry and academia joined forces to launch a future-focused national talent development programme designed to increase Emirati involvement in the UAE’s food manufacturing and drive industrial growth at Gulfood Manufacturing, the largest food and beverage processing and packaging show for the Middle East, Africa, and South Asia (MEASA), which runs at Dubai World Trade Centre (DWTC) until Tuesday 9 November.

The programme is being pioneered by the UAE Food and Beverage Manufacturers Group, in collaboration with the UAE Ministry of Industry and Advanced Technology’s (MoIAT), and leading universities, as part of MoIAT’s ‘Make it in the Emirates’ initiative in line with the UAE ‘Operation 300bn’ Industrial Strategy, which aims to develop the country’s industrial sector and enhance economic stimulation, raising its GDP contribution to Dhs300 billion by 2031.

Key objectives of the programme include underlining the importance of Emiratis in the food sector, who currently make up just 1% of the industry’s workforce. The UAE National Talent Development Programme aims to train and nurture next generation manpower with a goal to increase the local workforce to 5 per cent of the total within the five years.

Plans are in place to support more than 1,000 university graduates with on-the-job training to help revitalise the private sector with a local workforce and link the food startup community with the F&B manufacturing sector.

As part of the programme the UAE Food and Beverage Manufacturers Group will provide food internships where students will be guided by industry leaders, get a chance to work with the biggest food manufacturers in the UAE and get certified as ‘UAE Food Industry Ready’.

“The UAE National Talent Development Programme will fully connect the Youth-Academia-Industry circle, link local talent directly with industry leaders and prepare them to be future changemakers,” said Saleh Lootah, chairman of the UAE Food and Beverage Manufacturers Group.

“We will be closely monitoring the progress, designing enablers with relevant partners to ensure we remain on track to achieving our goal to increase the Emirati workforce. Launching at Gulfood Manufacturing made perfect sense. This event is all about resources, knowledge and technology, complemented by human capital. It is the people who are exhibiting at the show who will be stepping into train and coach the next generation and is a great platform for us to seek the right collaborations and strengthen the ecosystem.”

Launched in 2014, Gulfood Manufacturing is a sector-specific trade exhibition and crucial meeting place for ingredients, processing, packaging and food logistics providers from all corners of the globe who service the rapidly growing food and beverage production industries across the Middle East, Europe, Africa, Far East and Sub-Continent. The event provides food manufacturers with direct access to the latest innovative ingredients, equipment and business improvement tools that enable more efficient production and distribution. Gulfood Manufacturing has six focused sectors: Ingredients, Processing, Packaging, Printing and Labeling, Automation and Controls and Supply Chain Solutions. Gulfood Manufacturing 9 takes place from 7 – 9 November 2021.

DWTC brings more than 35 years’ experience delivering world-class events in the Middle East and provides local, regional and international exhibitors with unmatched expertise and in-depth market knowledge. Our team organises more than 20 of the largest and most successful international and regional shows in Middle East, providing an ideal platform for business development in the region.”