Training Magazine Europe February 2015 | Page 8

Jumeirah Group Launches Training Programme To Attract UAE National Future Leaders

Jumeirah Group, the global luxury hotel company and a member of Dubai Holding, has launched an innovative new programme to train and fast track UAE Nationals to become Jumeirah’s Hotel Managers of the future.

The pioneering plan supports and encourages His Highness Sheikh Mohammed Bin Rashid Al Maktoum‘s “Dubai Vision of Tourism 2020” and will help prepare Jumeirah Group for Expo 2020.

The programme offers UAE Nationals the opportunity to join a five-year fast-track plan incorporating on-the-job learning which will eventually enable them to lead a hotel team.

Jumeirah Group President and CEO Gerald Lawless said: “Jumeirah, the leading employer of UAE nationals in the hotel sector, is proud to present the UAE Future Leaders Programme, which aims to increase the number of UAE National General Managers and senior executives. This programme endorses the commitment to develop high-potential UAE Nationals into leadership positions and offer them attractive careers in Dubai’s dynamic travel, tourism and hospitality industry."

"By having more UAE national senior executives, Jumeirah and Dubai Holding support the vision of His Highness Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum and the targets which His Highness has set for tourism 2020.

‘Out Of Touch’ Employers Need To Focus On Employee Engagement

Nearly half of employers think their company is a great place to work compared with less than one in three employees.

· 4 in 10 employers say they will be affected by talent shortages in the next 12 months.

·MetLife UK’s Employee Benefits Trends Study highlights insights for employers to improve recruitment and retention.

Employers are over-estimating how happy employees are at work and are risking not achieving the full value from their investment in employee benefits, research* by MetLife Employee Benefits shows.

Nearly half (46%) of firms believe their company is a great place to work compared with just 31% of staff.

The report highlights how companies can address engagement issues and is one of the most comprehensive studies of its kind, having been conducted in the US for 12 years and at various times in 9 other countries.

The authoritative study shows how highly employers rate recruitment and retention – 40% of UK companies say they will be affected by talent shortages over the next year with retaining and hiring talent key benefits challenges for employers with 41% and 37% respectively reporting these as concerns.

The recruitment and retention challenge is the gap between employer and employee views. 32% of employees say they are loyal to their employer while just 22% believe their employer is loyal to them.

In contrast, 39% of employers’ believe their employees are loyal and 40% believe they are loyal to employees.

The report revealed a major challenge with regard to employees’ energy levels, with just 14% of UK employees surveyed saying they are bursting with energy at work – a much lower score than other countries in the survey.

The study also examined employee loyalty, and found that in the UK just 10% of employees said they were thinking of changing jobs in the next 12 months. Whilst on the surface this is encouraging for employers, this is less positive if employees are staying put but soldiering on.

Tom Gaynor, Employee Benefits Director of MetLife UK, said: “The risk is that employers are wasting significant time and money acting on the wrong things. The challenge is as much how to engage existing employees as it is to recruit new ones. Employee benefits consultants can advise on the products which are valued by employees as well as, importantly, how to enhance communication with employees about their benefits."

NewsTalk

8 | TRAINING MAGAZINE EUROPE FEB 2015