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| Ahmad Bin Byat, Director General of Dubai Creative Clusters Authority (DCCA). |
New regulation by Dubai Creative Clusters
Authority opens doors for 26,000 students in 4,500 companies in free zones
Dubai: In a landmark development, university
students in Dubai can now hold paid part-time jobs in thousands of companies in
nine free zone clusters, enabled through a new regulation announced by Dubai
Creative Clusters Authority (DCCA) on Tuesday.
The student part-time work regulation and
permit applies to some 26,000 students enrolled at around two dozen academic
institutions licensed by DCCA, primarily located in Dubai International
Academic City (DIAC) and Dubai Knowledge Park.
The applicable institutions represent over half
of all international branch campuses in the UAE. The new regulation is being
implemented with the support of the Knowledge and Human Development Authority
(KHDA).It enables 4,500 businesses in the emirate’s
nine creative clusters, such as Dubai Internet City, Dubai Media City, and
Dubai Studio City, to offer part-time employment to university students.
‘Valuable
experience’
In an interview, Ahmad Bin Byat, Director
General of Dubai Creative Clusters Authority (DCCA), said the regulation
“allows students to earn while they learn, giving them the opportunity to gain
valuable experience and an enhanced skill set that will make them stand out in
the job market post-graduation”.
Business, meanwhile, can “gain access to a
flexible and educated new stream of talent, without having to sponsor student
part-time employees. Over the longer term, the initiative will boost the
business-ready skills of fresh graduates, resolving a common issue that recent
students don’t have the business acumen that will make them of real value from
the very start of their fledgling careers”.
It is understood the working students would
continue under the student visa sponsorship of their university during their
course of study (and part-time work).
Bin Byat also stressed “it is critical to
ensure that both employers and employees are protected within a strong and fair
legal framework”.
He pointed out the regulation’s advantages for
academic institutions as well, which would give them “a competitive edge in the
market, particularly when compared to other academic institutions across the
region that do not allow students to work during the time they are studying”.DCCA, he added, is the region’s first
government and free-zone entity to enable businesses to hire from a talent pool
of such a large number of students who will be provided part-time work permits.
Strategic
goals
The move is also in line with Dubai’s strategic
goals. Bin Byat said: “The regulation is part of DCCA’s commitment to implement
policies and programmes to enable sustainable growth and the development of the
creative industries in full alignment with the Dubai Plan 2021 and the Dubai
Strategy for Innovation.
“The sustainable growth of these creative
industries, and the success of the businesses operating in these sectors, are
key for the realisation of the leadership’s vision of Dubai as a global hub for
innovation.” Mohammad Abdullah, DIAC managing director,
said: “Several knowledge hubs in North America and Europe already allow
students to work while they study, and so with this initiative, Dubai further
moves towards becoming a global education powerhouse…”
Where can you work?
The new regulation applies to part-time
employment with over 4,500 companies located in Dubai’s creative clusters such
as Dubai Internet City, Dubai Outsource City, Dubai Media City, Dubai Knowledge
Park, Dubai International Academic City, Dubai Production City, Dubai Science
Park and Dubai Design District, d3.
These businesses operate across a wide range of
industry sectors, from ICT, Outsourcing, Higher Education and Human Capital
Development, through to Media and Entertainment, Design, and Life Sciences,
Energy and Environment.
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